Department of Health and Social Care

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Education Policy Institute report, Access and waiting times in children and young people’s mental health services, published in September 2017, on the proportion of children referred to specialist mental health services who are being denied access to those services; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We acknowledge the need for focus on early intervention in children and young people’s mental health services, as set out in the Education Policy Institute report. The additional £1.4 billion that the Government has made available to transform children and young people’s mental health services will ensure that an additional 70,000 children and young people per year will receive treatment from National Health Service specialist services by 2020. The recently published green paper on children and young people’s mental health also includes a proposal to trial a four week waiting time for access to specialist NHS children and young people’s mental health services.

Coperforma

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 8 November 2016 to Question 51429, if he will assess the accuracy of the advice he received from NHS England that NHS trusts that have incurred costs invoiced Coperforma directly; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The provision of patient transport services is a matter for local National Health Service commissioners. We are advised by NHS England that the response to Question 51429 was accurate. Until 5 December 2016, Coperforma advised NHS trusts that such invoices should be sent directly to it for processing.

Ross Fund

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much of the Ross Fund his Department has spent on tackling (a) tuberculosis, (b) malaria and (c) HIV/AIDS since that fund was established.

Steve Brine: The Department has no projects funded through the Ross Fund Portfolio which exclusively address tuberculosis, malaria or HIV/AIDS. The Ross Fund Portfolio is spent cross-government and research programmes that address these diseases are currently managed by the Department for International Development.

Department of Health and Social Care: Former Members

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many former Conservative Members of Parliament who were defeated at the 2017 general election and who now work in his Department were appointed after a publicly advertised and open recruitment process.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department does not hold central information on the former roles of any its employees or their declared political interests. All recruitment within the Department is conducted in line with the Civil Service Commissioner’s recruitment principles and all civil servants adhere to the Civil Service code.

Accountable Care Organisations

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the four local areas are where a procurement process to establish an accountable care organisation is underway according to the NHS Providers document entitled STPs and accountable care - background briefing, of 15 January 2018;  what stage each of those processes has reached; and if he will place a copy of any agreement or memorandum of understanding between those areas and NHS England and NHS Improvement in the Library.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England will be launching a consultation on the contracting arrangements for Accountable Care Organisations (ACOs) in March. No ACO contract will be awarded in the meantime. There is widespread support for ending the fragmented way that care has been provided to improve services for patients and the National Health Service has been working towards this in a number of ways. ACOs are just one of these ways and are intended to allow health and care organisations to formally contract to provide services for a local population in a coordinated way. An ACO is not a new type of legal entity and so would not affect the commissioning structure of the NHS. An ACO would simply be the provider organisation which is awarded a single contract by commissioners for all the services which are within scope for the local accountable care model. Therefore any proposal to award an ACO contract would engage local commissioners’ own duties under the NHS Act 2006. Any area seeking to use an ACO contract would need to comply with longstanding public procurement law. The consultation will set out how the contract fits within the NHS as a whole, address how the existing statutory duties of NHS commissioners and providers would be performed under it (including how this will work with existing governance arrangements), and will set out how public accountability and patient choice would be preserved. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the two areas at the forefront of using a contract of this sort are Dudley, and Manchester’s proposed local care organisation. These are the only two areas that NHS England currently understands may be in a position to award an ACO contract during 2018. Emerging bidders for both proposals are NHS bodies, have the support of local general practitioners and are not private sector organisations. In two further areas, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have launched procurement exercises for integrated service providers. Scarborough CCG has confirmed that it does not intend to use a contract based on the draft ACO contract. The last is Northumberland CCG. The Department does not hold a copy of any agreement or memorandum of understanding.

Department of Health and Social Care: Beverage Containers

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many disposable coffee cups were purchased by his Department in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department does not purchase disposable coffee cups directly. The Department used single use disposable cups on its estate in the numbers in the table and cannot specify how many were specifically for hot drinks. The cups were served from the cafes and restaurants on its estate and purchased by its catering supplier. Information is not held prior to October 2014.October 2014 to September 2015332,540October 2015 to September 2016340,540October 2016 to September 2017325,220

Health Services: Private Sector

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides to NHS Trusts on the provision of private healthcare leaflets in NHS hospitals advertising medical services.

Stephen Barclay: We have provided no such guidance. NHS England has issued general guidance to National Health Service organisations on the sale of advertising space to generate additional income. The guidance is clear that third party advertisements should not suggest that the NHS endorses or recommends the advertiser’s goods or services. It can be found at the following web address: https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhsidentity/faq/can-an-nhs-organisation-sell-advertising-space-to-generate-income/

Hearing Aids: Private Sector

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides to NHS trusts on the advertisement of private hearing aid services in NHS hospitals.

Stephen Barclay: We have provided no such guidance. NHS England has issued general guidance to National Health Service organisations on the sale of advertising space to generate additional income. The guidance is clear that third party advertisements should not suggest that the NHS endorses or recommends the advertiser’s goods or services. This guidance is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhsidentity/faq/can-an-nhs-organisation-sell-advertising-space-to-generate-income/ Patients who choose to pay for additional private care or services, such as private hearing aid services, will not lose their entitlement to NHS services, which remain free at the point of delivery.

Cancer: Screening

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to introduce testing for all women over 30 years old for early signs of (a) ovarian and (b) breast cancer.

Steve Brine: The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) offers screening to an asymptomatic population for conditions which have been evaluated against their robust and extensive criteria. The UK NSC last reviewed the evidence to screen for ovarian cancer in 2016 and recommended that population screening should not be offered. Research has shown that screening women under the age of 50 is less effective especially when they have not entered into the menopause phase. There are currently no plans to offer screening to women over the age of 30 for either ovarian or breast cancer. A proposal to change an existing programme, such as age to the breast screening programme would follow the UK NSC’s evidence review process. Information about this process is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-evidence-review-process

Department of Health and Social Care: Carillion

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how often Carillion was stress-tested by his Department; when the last such stress test was carried out; and what the results of that stress test were.

Stephen Barclay: Since profit warnings about Carillion were first issued in July 2017, the Government has been closely monitoring the situation and in constructive discussion with Carillion while it sought to refinance its business. The Government has always worked to reduce risk and, of the small number of the contracts awarded since the July 2017 profit warning, virtually all were joint ventures with other companies, where the other companies are contractually bound take on Carillion's share of the work. Suppliers have to meet certain criteria to be able to bid for public contracts, including a minimum level of financial and economic standing proven through turnover, audited accounts or other financial measures. At the time of bidding and the award of the Private Financial Initiative (PFI) contracts for the major hospital build projects for Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust and Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust in 2013 and 2015 respectively, Carillion passed all mandated financial and economic standing tests. The trusts concerned, working with the Department, had an obligation to treat Carillion fairly based on public procurement regulations and award them contracts. The Official Receiver is investigating the events leading to the company’s insolvency and the Government need to let that happen and await its conclusions. The immediate and urgent focus is on the continuation of public services.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the potential merits of using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing treatment to alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) responds to a variety of effective treatments. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing treatment is recognised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as an effective treatment for individuals with PTSD where symptoms have been present for more than three months after a trauma. The NICE PTSD Evidence Update 2013 is available here: https://arms.evidence.nhs.uk/resources/hub/1031525/attachment

Mental Health Services: Gender Recognition

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve mental health provision for transgender people.

Jackie Doyle-Price: To improve quality of care, the Department and NHS England are transforming mental health service provision to provide equitable access to high quality care for all people, including transgender people. Local areas are required to consider their local population’s needs, including access to services based on clinical need, when they commission and provide services and support. The Government is investing an additional £1 billion by 2020 to deliver a major expansion of mental health services, including liaison psychiatry in every accident and emergency department, putting crisis resolution and home treatment teams on 24/7 footing and expanding perinatal mental health services.

Medicine: Research

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2017 to Question 111610, on medicine: research, for what reasons it is not possible to assess the contribution made by public investment or private investment in bringing medicines to market.

Steve Brine: Many countries invest public funds in research and development (R&D), often at an early stage. Some of this will contribute to basic science that will provide the fundamental knowledge and tools from which many different applications, including new medicines, may ultimately be developed. Some will be applied research related to a specific clinical application. Private companies also invest in R&D, which may build on the results of both basic and applied research supported through public or private funding. Many potential medicines are taken part way through development but are not ultimately found to be suitable for clinical use, but this process provides an important part of the knowledge base that will go on to support future medicines development. Given all of these different factors that contribute to medicine development, it is not possible to assess the contribution made by public investment or private investment in bringing products to market.

NHS: Drugs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department’s approach is to working with other departments on issues of intellectual property barriers to accessing affordable medicines.

Steve Brine: The Government recognises the vital role of intellectual property rights as an incentive and reward for research, development, and innovation. Organisations across Government, including the Department, Intellectual Property Office, NHS England, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority, work together to support intellectual property rights holders while promoting best value treatment for National Health Service patients by ensuring a highly competitive environment for generic entrants where intellectual property rights have expired.

Lyme Disease: Vaccination

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer to Question 105278 on Lyme Disease: Vaccination, when he will publish the four systematic reviews commissioned by the Government into the evidence on Lyme Disease.

Steve Brine: The Department has commissioned four independent systematic reviews of all relevant literature on the diagnosis, treatment, transmission and prevention of Lyme disease. The four systematic reviews have been completed and peer reviewed. The reviews were undertaken by the Evidence for Policy and Practice and Co-ordinating Centre and were published on its website on 21 December 2017. Patient advocacy groups involved in the review have been notified that these are in the public domain.

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timescale is for his Department receiving a response from the Independent Review Panel on the referred plans from Calderdale Huddersfield Foundation Trust.

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the referral from Calderdale and Kirklees Joint Health Scrutiny Committee relating to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary to be considered.

Stephen Barclay: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has written to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel requesting they undertake an initial assessment and report their findings by 26 February. We will then make an announcement about next steps in due course.

Warrington Hospital: Accident and Emergency Departments

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the average waiting time for A&E patients in Warrington Hospital in each year since 2010.

Stephen Barclay: The table below shows the mean and median duration to treatment and duration to departure for accident and emergency in Warrington and Halton NHS Foundation Trust, for the financial years between 2010-11 and 2016-17. NHS Digital collects data at trust level, not at individual hospital site level: Duration to Treatment (minutes)Duration to Departure (minutes)Financial yearNHS TrustMeanMedianMeanMedian2010-11Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust81.066142.01382011-12Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust81.068145.01392012-13Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust75.061142.01332013-14Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust76.062142.01332014-15Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust99.077169.01522015-16Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust91.072173.01482016-17Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust86.069163.0142Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Digital

Warrington Hospital: Accident and Emergency Departments

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of ambulances arriving at Warrington Hospital's A&E department waited more than 30 minutes in each of the last 12 months.

Stephen Barclay: NHS England publishes weekly winter situational reports showing the number of ambulances arriving at accident and emergency (A&E) as well as the number of ambulances that have experienced handover delays of 30 minutes or more on arrival. This is published at a trust and national level, not by each individual hospital site and is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/winter-daily-sitreps/winter-daily-sitrep-2017-18-data/

Mental Health Services: Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the £1.4 billion allocated under the young people’s mental health strategy Future in Mind, how much of that funding for what purposes has been spent in each year since that funding was announced.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England has received allocations under the £1.4 billion made available to implement Future in Mind of £173 million in 2015/16, £262 million in 2016/17 and £262 million in 2017/18. The purposes for the use of this expenditure are set out in chapter 2 of Implementing the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, NHS England 2016. This is available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/fyfv-mh.pdf

Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the specialist perinatal mental health community services development fund launched in August 2016, if he will provide a detailed breakdown of funds allocated to new or expanded specialist perinatal mental health community teams; and when such funding was received by each such team.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England allocated funding of £4.7 million in December 2016 for 2016/17, and £18.6 million between June and December 2017 for 2017/18 through its Perinatal Mental Health Specialist Community Services Development Fund. NHS England will allocate funding in 2018/19 to those sites that received funding in 2017/18.

Mental Illness: Personal Health Budgets

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people diagnosed with a severe and enduring mental health problem are in receipt of a personal health budget from NHS England.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS England does not collect data by health condition for recipients of all types of Personal Health Budget (PHB). For example, NHS England does not collect data by health condition for people in receipt of NHS Continuing Healthcare or budgets integrated with social care. Excluding these types of PHB, in 2016/17 1,037 people had personal health budgets specifically to meet mental health needs.

Social Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many local authorities have established service user forums under the provisions of the Care Act 2014.

Caroline Dinenage: Following the introduction of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, every local authority has a statutory duty to commission a local Healthwatch service. There are 152 local Healthwatch services in England. They are independent organisations based in local communities, working with other services to understand people’s health and social care experiences. By listening to local consumers and making sure that their opinions are shared with those who plan and run health and social care services, it allows local communities to help shape the care they receive.

Department of Health and Social Care: Drinking Water

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money his Department has spent on bottled water in each year since 2010.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department has not spent any money on bottled water since 2010 as part of its catering contract. Tap water is provided for hospitality in reusable glass bottles.

Health Services: South Tyneside

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has received representations from South Tyneside Council on devolving local health services to that local authority; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not received any representations from South Tyneside Council regarding the devolution of local health services to that local authority.

Maternity Services

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospitals have had to close or temporarily suspend their (a) maternity wards and (b) Special Care Baby Units in the last 12 months.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The data requested is not held centrally. The safety of mother and baby is paramount. We want to ensure that women have as many choices as possible, minimising any known risk to either themselves or their baby. Maternity services are unable to plan the exact time and place of birth and there are occasions when a unit cannot safely accept more women into their care. In such cases, the only safe alternative is to close the unit temporarily. It is important of course, that where a unit closes, there are systems and guidelines in place to ensure pregnant women have access to the next closest maternity unit and the type of care they have chosen, including midwifery-led care.

Abortion

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on the home use of abortion medication in England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Departmental officials hold regular meetings with officials from the Scottish Government to discuss areas of mutual interest on sexual and reproductive health policy.

Dental Services

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides to dental practices on the promotion of private tooth-whitening procedures in their surgeries.

Steve Brine: Only treatments that are clinically necessary are provided on the National Health Service so tooth whitening can only usually be provided privately. No specific guidance is therefore issued by the Department or NHS England on tooth whitening. As with any other dental cosmetic procedure practices are able to advertise and offer this service to patients privately. Dentists are required to make clear to patients what treatments are being provided on the NHS and privately and the costs, risks and benefits associated with each. Dentists’ clinical practice is regulated by the General Dental Council. This includes cosmetic procedures such as tooth whitening as well as treatments that are clinically necessary.

Transport: Health

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the status is of the Health Protection (Ships and Aircraft) Regulations.

Steve Brine: Port health in England is regulated by the Public Health (Aircraft) Regulations 1979 and Public Health (Ships) Regulations 1979. The Regulations cover measures such as: notification of possible infection or contamination on board a ship/aircraft; risk assessment of people, including medical examination and/or detention and general powers to provide information. There are no current plans to amend or replace the regulations.

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what records his Department holds on (a) how many patients have had operations postponed since 1 January 2018 and (b) what the average waiting time was to reschedule those operations.

Stephen Barclay: Information on the number of patients who have had operations postponed following the recommendation from the National Emergency Pressures Panel that non-urgent inpatient elective care is deferred until 31 January 2018 is not collected centrally. NHS England publishes quarterly performance data on cancelled elective operations, which includes national, regional and provider level activity, and this can be accessed at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancelled-elective-operations/cancelled-ops-data/ The data covering quarter 4, 2017/18 will be published on 8 June 2018. This will provide figures for the number of last minute cancellations for non-clinical reasons (where the operations was cancelled on the day the patient was due to arrive, after the patient has arrived in hospital or on the day of the operation or surgery); and the number of those last minute cancellations where the provider did not offer an alternative admission date within 28 days.

Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships: South East

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to conclude the Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships process in Surrey and Sussex.

Stephen Barclay: There are no plans in place to conclude the work of the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) process. The Sussex and East Surrey STP are working towards enabling health and care organisations to work together to improve and join-up services to meet the changing needs of all of the people who live in the area. It is an ongoing partnership and a way of working to make sure that the plans of all the partners across the area are joined up and working together. It aims to ensure that no part of the health and care system operates in isolation.

Health Services and Social Services

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of lessons learned from areas which have already integrated health and social care services.

Caroline Dinenage: The Better Care Fund (BCF), implemented from 2015/16, is the first mandatory policy to facilitate integration. All local areas need to have approved BCF plans in place to receive the BCF. The BCF has helped to join up health and care services so people can manage their own health and wellbeing, and live independently in their communities for as long as possible. In 2015-16, 90% of areas said it had already had a positive impact on integration locally. In the first two years of BCF, local areas voluntarily pooled more than the minimum required taking the total to £5.3 billion and £5.9 billion respectively. BCF has provided a foundation, but we want to do more to deliver joined up care. A Quality and Outcomes of Person-centred Care Policy Research Unit system-level evaluation of the BCF is underway, and the final report will be ready in spring 2018. The Department is working with the Social Care Institute for Excellence to better understand good practice in integrated care and how we could develop a more balanced set of measures of success in this area.

Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for all the Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships to conclude their work.

Stephen Barclay: There are no national plans or timetables in place for all Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs) to conclude their partnership work. STPs are an ongoing process, intended to address the challenges facing local health systems as well as focusing on better integration with social care and other local authority services within the footprint.

Eyesight: Testing

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of introducing a compulsory eyesight test for all children aged under 5 on the number of diagnoses of (a) Amblyopia and (b) other serious eye conditions in childhood.

Steve Brine: No assessment has been made by the Department on whether introducing a compulsory eyesight test for children aged under five would have an effect on the number of diagnoses of Amblyopia and other serious eye conditions in childhood. All babies have eye screening at birth and again at about six weeks of age by a general practitioner (GP) or health visitor. In most parts of England, children are offered a screening test to look for reduced vision in one or both eyes during their first year at school. In addition all children aged under 16 are eligible for free National Health Service sight tests and parents and carers are encouraged to raise any health concerns, including eye health concerns, with their GP.

Prescription Drugs

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Drug shortages derail CCGs’ budgets, published by The BMJ on 24 January 2018, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the ten-fold year on year increase in Clinical Commissioning Group's costs relating to drugs on no cheaper stock obtainable lists.

Steve Brine: The generics market is a competitive one where prices fluctuate. Concessionary prices are set when pharmacies cannot purchase generic medicines at the Drug Tariff reimbursement price. We have seen an increase in the number of concessionary prices since the summer. This is because generic medicine selling prices have risen. The reasons for these increased selling prices include reduced stock due to regulatory action against several large manufacturers and a decrease in the value of sterling. Reimbursement prices of the most commonly prescribed generic medicines were also reduced from August 2017 to recoup medicine margin over delivery, and adjust community pharmacy funding to the set level. This downward adjustment to generic medicine reimbursement prices happened at a similar time to when generic medicine selling prices started to increase.

Baby Care Units

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mother and baby beds commissioned by NHS England Specialised Services in 2016/17 are (a) available and (b) in use.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is not available.

Breast Cancer: Greater London

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons the contract for Central and East London breast screening services has been awarded to Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

Steve Brine: NHS England advises that the contract for the Central and East London Breast Screening Service was re-tendered under the Public Contract Regulations 2015, in line with The National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) (No. 2) Regulations 2013. The rationale was detailed within the published Invitation to Tender (ITT) documentation for Central and East London Breast Screening Services, which was predicated on a qualitative scoring criteria.

Breast Cancer: Greater London

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate has been made of the cost of transferring the contract for Central and East London breast screening services from the current provider to the new provider; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: NHS England advises that no mobilisation/transfer costs were incorporated into the Invitation to Tender. Bidders were advised that no separate funding was available for mobilisation/transfer costs.

Barts Health NHS Trust: Breast Cancer

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to maintain the symptomatic breast service in Barts NHS Trust after the screening service has been transferred to the new provider.

Steve Brine: Any possible reconfiguration of services is a matter for the local National Health Service. It is right that these decisions are led by local clinicians, who best understand the healthcare needs of their local populations, and in consultation with local people. NHS England have confirmed that the transfer of the breast screening service to the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust will have no impact on the symptomatic breast service at Barts NHS Trust. Women who are found to have a cancer as a result of their screening will follow the same treatment pathways and be treated by their local breast services.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the implementation in parts of Northern Ireland of universal credit; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland has responsibility for the delivery of Universal Credit in Northern Ireland, which it does with the support of DWP and the Universal Credit Programme. Universal Credit has been introduced in Northern Ireland for new claims on a phased geographical basis by post code groups aligned to front office locations. This process started from September 2017.

Employment and Support Allowance: Parkinson's Disease

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that those diagnosed with Parkinson's disease are not declared as having a condition which is likely to improve by employment support allowance physical assessors; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: Since 29 September 2017, when considering the review period for an Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit claimant as part of the Work Capability Assessment, a healthcare professional has been required to consider whether the condition or its functional affects meet the new severe conditions criteria. Where the criteria are all met, the healthcare professional will advise that no further assessments are needed.Rather than being defined through a list of specific medical conditions, the criteria are based on identifying claimants with severe, lifelong, often progressive and incurable illnesses and disabilities, whose level of function would always mean that they would have Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity, and who are unlikely ever to be able to move into work.

Employment and Support Allowance: Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have (a) applied for and (b) received employment and support allowance for inflammatory bowel disease in each year since 2010.

Sarah Newton: Inflammatory bowel disease is a term commonly used to refer to either Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis. The information available is shown in the following tables: Table 1: Number of individuals making an initial claim to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) whose main disabling condition was recorded as Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis, by year of claim start Jan 2010 to Mar 2017: Great Britain Year of ESA claim startInitial ESA claims201022002011260020122800201327002014280020152600201624002017 (Jan - Mar)600 Table 2: Number of individuals assigned to the ESA Support Group or the ESA Work Related Activity Group following their Work Capability Assessment (for initial, repeat or IB reassessment claims), whose main disabling condition was recorded as Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis, by year of claim start or IB reassessment referral, Jan 2010 to Mar 2017: Great Britain Year of ESA claim startInitial ESA claimsRepeat ESA assessmentsIB reassessments2010800700-2011110013001300201216001900230020131200120018002014120050020020151200400100201610001001002017 (Jan - Mar)200-- Source for Tables 1 and 2: Application data is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by the Healthcare Provider. Notes for Tables 1 and 2:The figures are rounded to the nearest 100. – denotes figures that are zero or less than 50.The information for 2017 is provided up to March 2017 only; this is the latest data available at time of request.National roll-out of IB reassessments began in March 2011. As a result, the 2011 figures for IB reassessment in Table 2 cover the period from March to December.An individual may have made more than one ESA claim or assessment in any given year. These individuals will only be counted once in each of the figures provided.The primary medical condition recorded on the claim form does not itself confer entitlement to ESA. So, for example, a decision on entitlement for a customer claiming ESA on the basis of Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities assessed by the work capability assessment.

Employment and Support Allowance: Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with inflammatory bowel disease applied for mandatory reconsideration of their claim for employment support allowance in each of the last four years.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of people with inflammatory bowel disease who have submitted an appeal for their claim for employment support allowance during the last four years.

Sarah Newton: The information is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people waited (a) less than one month, (b) less than two months, (c) less than three months, (d) less than four months, (e) less than five months, (f) less than six months and (g) six months or more for mandatory reconsideration in each year since 2010.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is shown in the table below: Mandatory Reconsiderations cleared within each time period-1 month2 months3 months4 months5 months6 months6 months +TotalApr 2014 - Mar 2015158,70067,80031,2003,9001,300600500264,000Apr 2015 - Mar 2016225,8003,9002,300700200100300233,100Apr 2016 - Mar 2017264,9005,5004,6002,0001,300200300278,700Apr 2017 - Dec 2017209,3007,7001,000500900500700220,700  Notes: The data provided relates to all DWP benefits apart from Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Child Maintenance Group and Personal Independence Payment who do not record clearance time data in this format. The data provided is counting the number of Mandatory Reconsideration claims cleared within each given time period, no claim will appear in more than one column.- Less than one calendar month- More than 1 month less than 2 months etc.- More than 6 calendar months The calculation for a cleared claim is the number of days from the Mandatory Reconsideration being received by the Department to the date a decision was made. The data has been provided in financial years, 01st April to 31st March with the exception of this financial year which runs from 01st April to 31st December Data is only available from 1 April 2014. This is because The Social Security, Child Support (Decision and Appeals) Regulations 1999, were amended on 28th October 2013 and only from then could the Secretary of State require a person to apply for a decision to be revised (i.e. apply for a mandatory reconsideration), before appeal. Pre October 2013 data is not comparable to current volumes. Volumes from October 2013 – April 2014 (initial Appeals Reform roll-out) were small and so not reflective of normal trend. Annual figures cannot be directly compared to each other as different benefits have been included over time for example Universal Credit (UC) did not commence until November 2014 Source:Decision Making and Appeals Case Recorder (DMACR) The data provided is internal management information that does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice.

Universal Credit

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what written guidance is available to decision-makers to determine applications on universal credit payments being split between members of the same household.

Alok Sharma: The Department’s guidance for Universal Credit decision makers is contained in “Advice for Decision Making” (“ADM”). Chapter B1 of the ADM, “Payment of UC, PIP, ESA and JSA”, includes guidance on payments to joint claimants including splitting payments between a couple. The relevant guidance is at paragraphs B1024 to B1026. The ADM is also available on www.gov.uk and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-for-decision-making-staff-guide

Social Security Benefits

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria are applied to decide whether a claimant can have a home assessment for (a) employment and support allowance, (b) personal independence payment and (c) universal credit.

Sarah Newton: Assessment Provider Health Care Professionals will review each claimant’s circumstances to decide whether a face to face consultation is necessary. If a face to face consultation is recommended, the Health Care Professional will also, at this point, determine if there is strong supporting medical evidence for the consultation to be carried out at the claimant’s home. Situations where a claimant may need a home consultation can include where a person’s diagnosis suggests a significant disability that may make travel extremely difficult, or the claimant provides evidence from a healthcare professional that their condition prevents them from travelling.

Jobcentres: Sign Language

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobcentre staff hold a level 2 British Sign Language qualification.

Sarah Newton: Information on the total number of Jobcentre staff who, in a professional or personal capacity, hold a level 2 British Sign Language qualification is not held and can only be provided at a disproportionate cost.Claimants who require an interpreter are able to access this support via the contracted provision available.

Personal Independence Payment: Mental Health

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Written Statement of 19 January 2018, HCWS414, whether applicants will be entitled to a reassessment if they were given the standard rate of the PIP mobility component after the February 2017 changes to PIP regulations, where the cause of the claim was psychological distress.

Sarah Newton: As part of implementing the MH Upper Tribunal judgment, the Department for Work and Pensions will carry out an administrative exercise in order to ensure that claimants receive the correct award. We will be going through all cases in receipt of PIP and all decisions made since the judgment in MH to identify anyone who may be entitled to more as a result of the judgment. This review will include claimants who are currently receiving the standard rate of the PIP mobility component and experience psychological distress.The Department will directly contact anyone who is affected and additional payments will be backdated to the effective date in each claim. The effective date will be either the date of the claim or the date of the MH judgment (November 2016), whichever is the later date. Claimants do not need to write to DWP in order to receive the correct award.

Personal Independence Payment: Mental Health

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 19 January 2018, HCWS414, what the timetable is for claimants to be informed if they are entitled to a back payment.

Sarah Newton: We are working with stakeholders to change the PIP assessment guide so that we can implement the judgment. Once we have completed this exercise we will be carrying out an administrative exercise to review cases that may be eligible and ensure that claimants receive the correct award. This will be a complex exercise and of considerable scale, as we will be reconsidering approximately 1.6 million claims. Whilst we will be working at pace to complete this exercise it is important that we get it right.

Children: Maintenance

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many additional child maintenance payments were made after investigations by HMRC in each year since 2010.

Kit Malthouse: The information is not routinely recorded and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Employment Schemes: Disability

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many businesses have signed up to the Disability Confident scheme.

Sarah Newton: As of the 17 December 2017, 5,359 employers had signed up to Disability Confident.

Jobcentres: Local Government

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department estimates it will save by co-locating Jobcentres in local authority premises.

Alok Sharma: There are no plans to publish estimated savings which will be accrued from co-location sites. Overall, we expect to make savings in the order of £135 million a year for the next 10 years by merging offices, through reduced running costs and making best use of office space available.

Universal Credit: Payments

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken to reduce the time taken to make payments of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: From February 2018, the seven-day waiting period will be removed for all new Universal Credit claimants. This means that no claimant should wait longer than five weeks to receive their first Universal Credit payment.DWP has also improved the Universal Credit advances process. Claimants who require support can now get an advance of up to 100 per cent of their expected monthly entitlement while they wait for their first payment. This effectively removes the wait until their first payment altogether.

Universal Credit: Homelessness

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2017 to Question 110143, on how many occasions homeless claimants have had their work search and work availability requirements in the claimant commitment switched off by a Work Coach in each of the last 12 months.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not recorded or held centrally and would only be available at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential link between the sanctions regime and the mental health and wellbeing of individuals; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: No assessment has been made of the potential link between the sanctions regime and the mental health and wellbeing of individuals. Sanctions are only ever used as a last resort, and when considering whether a sanction is appropriate, a Decision Maker will take all the claimant’s individual circumstances, including any health conditions or disabilities and any evidence of good cause, into account before deciding whether a sanction is warranted. We engage at a personal and individual level with all of our claimants and are committed to tailoring the support that we give and any conditionality requirements to the specific circumstances of the individual.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to mitigate the effect of welfare sanctions on people's mental health and well-being.

Alok Sharma: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I provided to Question 123884 on 26 January 2018.

Social Fund

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2018 to Question 121721, on social fund, if she will place a copy of the 2014 review in the Library; whether she has conducted any similar reviews since that review; and whether her Department has any plans to hold further reviews.

Kit Malthouse: A copy of the Local Welfare Provision review was deposited in the libraries of the House of Commons and House of Lords on 10 November 2014 – DEP2014-1446. The Department has no plans for a further review.

Social Fund

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of financial and in-kind support provided to low-income families in different local authority areas of the devolution of control over the Social Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: The reforms to the Social Fund in 2013 have allowed local authorities in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to deliver their own local provision for people who are in need of urgent help. Our 2014 review published in November 2014 found that local authorities delivered financial and in-kind support more effectively than the previous provision under the Social Fund, and that therefore local authorities are best placed to ensure help is targeted at those who need it most, alongside their other local services. The Department has no further plans to carry out a further assessment.Local authorities in England will receive more than £200 billion to deliver these and other community services between 2016-17 and 2019-20, and will have the certainty to plan ahead through our four-year funding settlement.

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether UK state pensions will be uprated after the UK leaves the EU for (a) UK citizens of pension age who currently live in an EU country other than the UK, (b) UK citizens of less than pension age who reside in an EU country other than the UK and who intend to retire there and (c) UK citizens who reside in the UK and who intend to retire to an EU country other than the UK in the future.

Guy Opperman: The UK State Pension will remain payable worldwide under domestic legislation following our departure from the EU. We have now reached agreement with the EU to maintain State pension up-rating for those covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. This includes UK nationals living in the EU27 on the specified date or UK nationals who have been subject to the legislation of an EU27 member state prior to the specified date once they reach state pension age even if they are living in the UK on the specified date.For UK nationals living in the EU on the specified date this includes people who are already receiving their UK State Pension as well as future UK State Pensioners who have not yet reached State Pension age. We will want to discuss in future talks State Pension up-rating for individuals who are not covered by the Withdrawal Agreement.

Attendance Allowance and Personal Independence Payment

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to change the application processes for personal independence payment and attendance allowance to allow third parties to help claimants.

Sarah Newton: There are no plans to change the application process for Personal Independence Payment or Attendance Allowance as third parties can already assist the claimant throughout the claim process and beyond.A third party can assist the disabled person in making the telephone claim for PIP. They can also help the person complete any paper claim form where necessary. Further within the claim process, they can help the claimant complete any evidence gathering forms and can also accompany them to any face to face consultation with a Health Care Professional, at the claimant’s request.Separately to this, a third party can make a claim under the Special Rules for the Terminally Ill provisions where the claimant has a life expectancy of less than 6 months, without any involvement from the disabled person, although all notifications are sent to the customer.For claims to Attendance Allowance a third party can assist the disabled person by completing a clerical claim form. In addition, claims to Attendance Allowance can be made via Alternative Offices. These are offices authorised by the Secretary of State, with nominated staff trained from specified partner organisations to receive and check Social Security claims made by Attendance Allowance customers. They can also collect and validate information and supporting evidence and record the first date of claim.

Personal Independence Payment

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her oral contribution of 23 January 2018, what the evidential basis is for her statement that the Government is spending more on personal independence payments than it did on disability living allowance.

Sarah Newton: My Rt. Hon Friend, the Secretary of State, made clear in her statement that the figures she referred to applied to the main disability benefits: Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment. These figures are taken from the latest release of the benefit expenditure and caseload tables available from here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/benefit-expenditure-tables.

Universal Credit

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2018 to Question 123035, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of introducing an automated system for universal credit claimants to reset their login details.

Alok Sharma: In line with programmes of this size, it is not our policy to cost individual features. Costs are managed at a programme level.

Children: Poverty

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of recent changes in welfare provision on the number of children living in poverty in Oldham West and Royton constituency.

Kit Malthouse: National statistics on the number of children in relative low income are set out in the annual "Households Below Average Income" publication. The number and proportion of children in relative low income is not available at local authority or constituency level in this publication because the survey sample sizes are too small to support the production of robust estimates at this geography.Latest 3-year estimates for the North West of the proportion and number of children in low income are available in Table 4.16ts and Table 4.17ts in the file “4_children_timeseries_risk” from this link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/599136/hbai-2015-2016-supporting-ods-files.zipImpact Assessments of policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Act of 2016 were published in 2015. Evidence shows work is the best route out of poverty; nearly three-quarters of children from workless families moved out of poverty when their parents entered into full-time work. Children in workless households are five time more likely to be in poverty than those in households where all adults were working. Welfare reforms are designed to incentivise parents to make the choice to move into and progress in work.This Government is committed to action that tackles the root causes of poverty and disadvantage with policies that incentivise employment as the best route out of poverty. In Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, we set out a framework for a continued focus on improving children’s long-term outcomes. This includes nine national indicators to track progress in tackling the disadvantages that affect families and children. Four of these measures are set out in primary legislation which places a duty on the Government report annually to Parliament on the parental worklessness and educational attainment indicators. Data on the non-statutory indicators will also be published each year.

Department for Work and Pensions: Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to offer payroll deduction services for credit union membership to all her Department's employees; and if she will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: The Department already offers payroll deduction services to its employes. In July 2016, DWP reached an agreement with 3 credit unions (Commsave, Hull and East Yorkshire and Voyager) to provide services, including payroll deduction, to DWP employees. Currently around 3,800 DWP employees have voluntarily joined that scheme and received credit union loans of around £3 million.

Personal Independence Payment: North West Durham

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of personal independence payment there are in North West Durham constituency.

Sarah Newton: The latest available data on PIP claims in payment, including by parliamentary constituency and main disabling condition are published on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk.Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these published statistics.

Personal Independence Payment

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people who had a lifetime award for disability living allowance have had a reduction in the amount they are entitled to as a result of transferring to personal independence payment.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: Motability

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people have had their Motability car removed after being transferred from disability living allowance to personal independence payment.

Sarah Newton: The details of people returning Motability vehicles and the reasons behind this are Motability’s Management Information, and the Department has no right to access as Motability is an independent organisation.The Department worked closely with Motability to introduce a £175 million Transitional Support package for people leaving the scheme following PIP reassessments. Customers who are eligible for a transitional support payment are able to retain their car for up to 6 ½ months, including during the processes of reconsideration or appeal. For those who take advantage of this option, the level of transitional support payment will be reduced.The transitional support package is paid for by Motability at no cost to the taxpayer and gives significant help:Claimants can keep their car for up to 3 months after an initial decision.Claimants are given the option to buy their Scheme vehicle.Choice of up to £2,000 lump sum payment or a 6 ½ month lease extension with a smaller support payment.Motability can help to pay to adapt new, non-scheme cars and gives additional help and advice (on insurance and adaptations).

Personal Independence Payment: Mental Illness

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people claiming personal independence payment that have mental health conditions.

Sarah Newton: The latest available data on PIP claims in payment, including by parliamentary constituency and main disabling condition are published on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk.Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these published statistics. By the end of Oct-17 the PIP Caseload stood at approximately 1,607,200 of which 553,900 (34%) were recorded with a mental health or behavioural related illness.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the letter from the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to the hon. Member for St Helen's South and Whiston of 15 December 2017, whether a child in full-time education may claim disability benefit in their own right from the age of 16.

Sarah Newton: Young adults aged 16 and over can claim and receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in their own right regardless of whether they are in any form of education, training or work. An appointee can make a claim on the young adult’s behalf where they are unable to handle their own affairs.

Employment and Support Allowance

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to collate and publish data relating to employment support allowance similar to that which is made available on personal independence payments.

Sarah Newton: The published Employment and Support Allowance, including Work Capability Assessment outcomes, and Personal Independence Payment statistics are very similar in coverage and include, for example: number of starts, number of claims in payment, characteristics of the claimants, and Mandatory Reconsiderations. Quarterly statistics on Employment and Support Allowance, including Work Capability Assessment outcomes, and Personal Independence Payment are regularly published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/statistics The Department recently published its response to a consultation on future changes to Employment and Support Allowance: Outcomes of Work Capability Assessments as part of a wider consultaiton on Universal Credit that can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-statistics-background-information

Home Office

Home Office: Beverage Containers

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many disposable coffee cups were purchased bought by her Department in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: The coffee cups provided in 2 Marsham Street are biodegradable, and staff and visitors are encouraged to compost these in the facilities provided.

Asylum: Appeals

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there are plans to provide financial assistance to asylum seekers who have to travel to Liverpool to appeal asylum decisions.

Caroline  Nokes: Asylum appeal hearings are not held in Liverpool. Asylum seekers are not required to travel to Liverpool to appeal against their asylum decisions or attend their asylum appeal hearing.The Home Office implemented a new policy on 30 March 2015 which requiring all failed asylum seekers (FAS) who have exhausted their appeal rights, but who wish to make an asylum further submission, to do so in person. Those who wish to submit further submissions on asylum or human rights grounds are required to telephone the further submissions unit and book an appointment to submit their further submissions in person in Liverpool.There are no plans to provide financial assistance to those individuals wishing to submit their further submissions in person in Liverpool. However, in exceptional circumstances, for example due to a disability or severe illness, further submissions from failed asylum seekers may be accepted either through local arrangements or by post, providing that supporting evidence is submitted, as specified within the published further submissions policy which can be accessed at the following:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/502334/Further_Submissions_API_v9_0_EXT.pdf

Compass

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much his Department received in service credits under each key performance indicator in respect of Compass asylum accommodation in each year since 2015 for which information is available.

Caroline  Nokes: The Home Office has a rigorous contract compliance regime in place to ensure that the required performance standards expected of all providers, as defined in the contracts, are met. Where there is any instance of non-conformance the performance indicators are applied which may lead to a financial deduction from monthly invoices. The Home Office does not publish data on the value of service credit that have been accrued on the asylum accommodation contracts.

Compass

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many joint inspections of Compass contracts for asylum accommodation were undertaken by her Department and local authorities, by Compass region, in each year since 2016-17.

Caroline  Nokes: This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost by examination of individual property records.

Home Office: Compass

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information she holds on completed service-user feedback forms that her Department's inspectors have gathered in respect of her Department's contracts with Compass for 2016-17 and 2017-18 to date.

Caroline  Nokes: During Home Office housing inspections, Contract Compliance Teams measure service delivery via a short questionnaire with the Service User around level of contact, welcome briefing and support from the housing provider. Responses are retained and analysed in order to identify trends, good practises and areas for improvement.

Asylum: Housing

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 8 December 2016, HCWS335, on Asylum Accommodation, how many (a) welfare officers and (b) property management staff have been funded in part or fully from the £1million allocated for that purpose; how much of that £1million has been spent to date; what the new higher price band referred to is; and how many asylum seekers have been accommodated in the new asylum dispersal areas referred to.

Caroline  Nokes: The Home Office is committed to ensuring that destitute asylum seekers are accommodated in safe, secure and suitable accommodation whilst their claims are considered and have worked closely with accommodation providers to develop improvements to the service over the lifetime of the contract. The Home Office does not publish data on the number or cost of welfare officers or property management staff employed by asylum accommodation providers, however proposals for additionally funded service provision from each of the provider’s have been assessed and approved. It is a matter for individual providers to utilise the available funding as they deem appropriate. The Department will continue to monitor the providers closely to ensure that they comply with the requirements of the contract and continue these improvements as part of the contract extension.Payments made to the service providers are published as part of the transparency data where we publish monthly spend data with all providers where it is in excess of £25khttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-november-2017Data on the numbers of asylum seekers in local authority areas is published and can be found at (Asylum Vol 4. Table 16q).https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2017/how-many-people-do-we-grant-asylum-or-protection-to

Compass

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what level of (a) disclosure and barring service, (b) counter-terrorism and (c) criminal records checks are for asylum accommodation staff in the Compass contract who are in contact with service users.

Caroline  Nokes: It is the responsibility of the COMPASS providers to undertake the appropriate pre-employment checks and risk assessments in accordance with their legal and contractual obligations (as set out in Section 1.2 of the Statement of Requirements and Schedule 9 of the Terms and Conditions). It is not possible to list a specific set of roles requiring criminal records checks as job roles will vary from one provider to another, however all roles which include contact with service users will be subject to an appropriate level of check depending on the specifics of the roleCriminal record checks are obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The DBS publishes details and guidance for employers on eligibility and levels of clearance required for roles that may be deemed as sensitive as a result of working with children and adults. This can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dbs-eligibility-guidance

Drugs: Misuse

Kevin Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the appropriateness of the current classification of the drug commonly know as Spice as a class B substance; and if she will reclassify Spice as a class A substance.

Victoria Atkins: The group of third generation synthetic cannabinoids, commonly referred to using the brand name ‘spice’, were controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in December 2016. This followed recommendations from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs that their harms are commensurate with other class B drugs.The Government has no plans to reclassify these synthetic cannabinoids at the present time, but we will continue to monitor their misuse.

Welfare in Detention of Vulnerable Persons Review

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to make an assessment of the potential merits of the review conducted by Stephen Shaw on the implementation of the recommendations on the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons, in advance of issuing updated guidance on her Department's adults at risk policy; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline  Nokes: The Government is currently considering the judgment made by the High Court on 10 October 2017 in respect of the statutory guidance relating to the policy on adults at risk in immigration detention and will, in the near future, be engaging with a range of bodies with an interest in immigration detention as part of the process of revising the guidance. The Home Office will carefully consider any further recommendations or findings made by Stephen Shaw.

Immigration Bail

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of people who are released from immigration detention on immigration bail as a result of the repeal of section 4(1) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the First Tier Tribunal on the (a) repeal of section 4(1) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and (b) provision of bail accommodation.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the (a) the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and (b) Ministers in the devolved administrations on the effect of releasing immigration detainees without bail accommodation on (a) local authorities, (b) street homelessness and (c) statutory homelessness applications.

Caroline  Nokes: Section 4(1) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 was repealed on 15 January on the coming into effect of new immigration bail provisions in Schedule 10 to the Immigration Act 2016, including new powers to provide accommodation in certain circumstances. The repeal of section 4(1) is not expected to have any discernible effect on the number of people released from immigration detention on immigration bailThere has been communication with the First-tier Tribunal about the implications of Schedule 10 to the 2016 Act, including the repeal of section 4(1) of the 1999 Act and provision of bail accommodation. Regular discussions have also taken place with Ministry of Justice officials from both HM Courts and Tribunals Service and HM Prisons and Probation Service. No discussions on this subject have taken place with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government or Ministers in the devolved administrations. Section 4(1) of the 1999 Act was used to provide accommodation to people released from immigration detention on bail and in limited circumstances to other categories of migrants who required support in order to avoid a breach of their rights under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human RightsParagraph 9 of Schedule 10 to the 2016 Act replaces this with powers to provide accommodation to people released from detention on bail and to those who require it in order to avoid a breach of their Article 3 rightsAdditionally, individuals granted immigration bail who are asylum seekers or failed asylum seekers still have access to support provided under sections 95 or 4(2) of the 1999 Act if they would otherwise be destitute and meet the normal eligibility criteria. Any migrant who is not entitled to support and who could leave the UK in order to avoid homelessness should do so.

Immigrants: Employment

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January 2018 to Question 120539 on Immigrants: Employment, what steps her Department is taking to simplify the employer checking service  for (a) perspective employees and (b) employers.

Caroline  Nokes: The Home Office has rolled out biometric residence permits to persons subject to immigration control to make it easier for them to evidence their status and simpler for employers to check their right to work.We remain committed to simplifying the system of right to work checks for migrants and employers, including through the development of automated checking tools.

Police: Dogs

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police dogs and handlers there were in each force (a) in 2010 and (b) on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Mr Nick  Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the primary function of police officers as part of the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, the latest of which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2017

West Midlands Fire Service

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to provide (a) financial and (b) other support to West Midlands Fire Service.

Mr Nick  Hurd: West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service (WMFRS) has the resources it needs to do its important work. In 2018/19, West Midlands Fire and Rescue will receive a core spending power of £95.1 million, an increase of 0.7% from 2017/18. WMFRS also held £53m in non-ringfenced reserves at March 2017. This is an increase of £29.2m (135%) since March 2011. The current level of reserves held by WMFRS is equivalent to 56% of their core spending power.

Slavery: Children

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support is available to a child that receives a Conclusive Grounds decision in the National Referral Mechanism.

Caroline  Nokes: We recognise the needs and vulnerabilities of trafficked children and the importance of providing the appropriate support to address them. All local agencies (including local authorities and the police) have statutory duties to safeguard children as part of their local responsibilities, regardless of their backgrounds or experiences. The revised ‘Care of unaccompanied migrant children and child victims of modern slavery’ statutory guidance for local authorities (2017) sets out the steps that local authorities should take to plan for the provision of support where the child is an unaccompanied asylum seeking child and/or may have been a victim of trafficking or modern slavery. To further support trafficked children, the Government implemented Independent Child Trafficking Advocates (ICTA) in three Early Adopter Sites (Greater Manchester, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and nationally in Wales) from 30 January 2017. Children who are the responsibility of local authorities within the Early Adopter Sites are provided with an ICTA when they are initially identified as potentially trafficked. This provision is in addition to the range of existing support available to them through the local authority. The Government has also funded training for foster carers, support workers and Independent Advocates to increase their understanding of the specific needs of trafficked children and how to support them.

Asylum and Slavery

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an impact assessment was completed before her Department's announcements on the alignment of basic living costs for victims of modern slavery and asylum seekers.

Victoria Atkins: The subsistence rates for victims of modern slavery are provided to cover the essential living needs of potential victims of modern slavery. When considering the level of these rates, the essential needs of potential victims were assessed to be comparable to the needs of asylum seekers. This is why the tested and established methodology that has been developed to measure the level of subsistence for asylum seekers will be adopted to measure the level of subsistence for potential victims of modern slavery. Within this policy, dependent children will receive a higher level of subsistence than they currently receive, and pregnant victims will receive an additional payment of £300. This will ensure that the most vulnerable individuals in NRM support will receive a greater level of finance. The policy for subsistence rates also includes the ability for individuals or their support providers to apply for further funding if there is a clear need for victims to receive more financial support to meet their essential living needsWhere it has been identified that victims of slavery have needs above those of asylum seekers, these needs are met within the victim care contract, for example travel costs for counselling and medical appointments. We are working closely with the Salvation Army and the Independent Anti Slavery Commissioner to ensure that the implementation of this change is as smooth as possible.  Victims will continue to receive dedicated and expert support, which is tailored to their unique needs as victims of modern slavery. This includes access to legal aid, counselling, NHS medical and dental services. This will ensure there is a fair and consistent approach for all individuals receiving similar government support. Furthermore, more money is being made available to treble the period of “move on” support, which will help people leaving victim support with their transition to other arrangements. It is essential that we target support to confirmed victims, at the point they need it most.

Slavery: Northern Ireland

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support the Government is providing to the Northern Ireland Assembly on the implementation of that administration's modern slavery strategy.

Victoria Atkins: Modern slavery is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland, with the executive in Northern Ireland recently bringing in primary legislation regarding human trafficking as well as publishing a Northern Ireland Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Strategy in 2016/17. Home Office officials meet regularly with their counterparts in the NI Department of Justice to discuss emerging trends and share best practice.

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to appoint new members of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Victoria Atkins: A recruitment campaign to appoint new members to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs commenced in 2017. The recruitment process has been conducted in accordance with Cabinet Office Governance Code for Public Appointment which was published in December 2016 (see link below). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-code-for-public-appointments The new members have been selected for appointment, once security clearance has been completed the successful candidates will be announced.

Asylum

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people seeking asylum are being considered under the National Referral Mechanism.

Caroline  Nokes: Data on the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) are published regularly by the National Crime Agency and in the UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery. These reports are available via the following links:http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statisticshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2017-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slavery

Slavery

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many outstanding decisions UK Visas and Immigration has on victims of modern slavery who have been referred under the National Referral Mechanism.

Victoria Atkins: Data on the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) are published regularly by the National Crime Agency and in the UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery. These reports are available via the following links:http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statisticshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2017-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slavery

Refugees

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Government’s response to the Home Affairs Committee’s Twelfth Report of Session 2016-17, Asylum accommodation, HC637, if she will publish the results of the pilot into UK Visas and Immigration contacting refugees and offering them an appointment with the Department for Work and Pension's Vulnerable Persons’ service.

Caroline  Nokes: The new scheme was put in place to ensure that refugees who wish to apply for benefits are assisted with their application and receive a prompt first payment of any benefit for which they qualify. The scheme was tested successfully in the North East and Yorkshire and Humberside regions earlier this year and has now been rolled out to all areas of the country where asylum seekers are accommodated by the Home Office. The Government is carefully evaluating the implementation and impact of this new service and will complete its evaluation in due course.

Migrant Workers

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons the named worker system for immigration applications was stopped; and what assessment her Department has made of the effect of that change on the quality of communication with applicants.

Caroline  Nokes: The department continually reviews its operation to improve performance and accountability. Customer feedback, including complaints, are taken into account to ensure we offer value for money; which includes improving the services we offer, the quality of the decisions we make and the provision of an excellent customer service.Customers are able to contact the Border, Immigration and Citizenship System about their cases through customer contact centres, and members are able to contact the department through MP account management teams.

Knives: Crime

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effect of social media on trends in knife crime; and if she will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: As part of our work to develop a new Serious Violence Strategy the Home Office has considered a range of factors that may be driving increases in serious violence including the role of social media.The Home Office is aware that gangs make use of a number of social media platforms to incite violence and taunt rival gangs and we work closely with the police to identify good practice in tackling this issue and to encourage the police to take action. Operation Domain is an ongoing successful Metropolitan Police Service project taking action against gang-related activity online, working with social media companies to remove relevant content.The new Serious Violence Strategy will be published early this year.

Crime: Social Media

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with representatives from (a) Facebook, (b) Google/YouTube, (C) Twitter, (d) Snapchat and (e) other social media platforms on tackling the prevalence of videos and other forms of social media content that glorify gang and knife crime.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office is aware that gangs make use of a number of social media platforms to incite violence and taunt rival gangs and we work closely with the police to identify good practice in tackling this issue and to encourage the police to take action. Operation Domain is an ongoing successful Metropolitan Police Service project taking action against gang-related activity online, working with social media companies to remove relevant content.The Government has been clear that social media companies should be going further and faster when taking down content. Ultimately, this material should not be made available in the first place. I intend to meet these companies in due course.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance has been provided to bereaved family members of people who died in the Grenfell Tower fire on the extension of their leave to remain in the UK to enable them to continue to participate in the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline  Nokes: Bereaved family members of people who died in the Grenfell Tower fire, may be eligible to extend their stay in the UK under a dedicated relatives’ policy, published on 11 October. Details of who is eligible under the policy can be found in the published guidance here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/grenfell-tower-handling-relatives-immigration-cases.Otherwise relatives should include evidence of their participation in the public inquiry when they apply to extend their leave to remain in the UK in their relevant immigration category. The Home Office will ensure that all those who are required to provide evidence in person, or who need to be in the UK to participate in the inquiry, are able to do so.

Marriage Certificates

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the suitability of (a) the Registration of Marriage Bill [Lords], (b) the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc.) Bill and (c) the Registration of Marriage (No. 2) Bill to act as legislative vehicles to allow the Government to change the law in order to allow a mother's details to be recorded on marriage certificates; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline  Nokes: Any change to the content of the marriage entry to include mothers’ names would ideally also bring forward reform to how marriages are registered to introduce efficiencies and create a more secure system for the maintenance of marriage records. This would require changes to primary legislation.The Registration of Marriage Bill [ Lords ] and the Registration of Marriage (No 2) Bill seek to make these changes to current legislation, in particular to the Marriage Act 1949. Details relating to the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Bill have not yet been published.

Domestic Violence

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for the Government to consult on, publish and introduce into Parliament its Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill.

Victoria Atkins: The Government, in the Queen’s Speech, gave a clear commitment to publish a draft Domestic Abuse Bill this session.The Government is determined to make the most of this opportunity to seek the views of experts and practitioners on proposals for the draft Domestic Abuse Bill and supporting non-legislative measures. As such, we are in the process of working with partners across Government to finalise a consultation which is as robust and thorough as possible, before launching it shortly

Asylum

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the average time taken to process asylum applications.

Caroline  Nokes: The Home Office has a Service Standard to make an initial asylum decision within 182 days of the date of claim, which the Department has met for the last consecutive 39 months.Despite this we are aware of the number of older cases in the system. These are more complex cases which generally have barriers that prevents an initial asylum decision being made. These barriers are often varied and require time to clear.The Home Office is aware of the number of older cases and has plans in place to reduce the number of cases older than six months. These include a staff retention strategy to ensure it retains its highly skilled asylum decision makers, further expansion of digital processes to increase caseworking flexibility and the creation of a new team in Bootle which has been specifically established to tackle the older cases in the asylum system. This team has been designed to establish and roll out best practise in the management of older cases.

Refugees

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the eligibility criteria is for people to qualify under the mandate resettlement scheme.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees resettled under mandate resettlement  were (a) immediate family members of sponsors in the UK and (b) extended family members in the past three years.

Caroline  Nokes: Mandate plays an important part in facilitating the resettlement of refugees in various locations across the world. There is no specific quota or target for the number of people resettled via Mandate. The referral of cases (and the corresponding numbers of arrivals) under Mandate is dependent on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) identifying cases which meet its criteria. This criteria can be found in the UNHCR Resettlement Handbook under the UK’s country chapter available at http://www.unhcr.org/40ee6fc04.htmlWe publish a breakdown of arrivals under our resettlement schemes as part of the Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release, which was most recently updated on 30 November, however we do not publish a disaggregation of those resettled to immediate or extended family members.

Burglary

Leo Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure police forces investigate household burglaries; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick  Hurd: The Government is very concerned about burglary and the impact it has on individuals and communities. That is why we expect the police to take all reports of burglary seriously, to investigate and, where appropriate, to bring the offenders to court so that they can receive appropriate punishment.

Airguns

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of incidents of shooting of (a) cats and (b) other animals with air weapons reported to the police in England in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr Nick  Hurd: The Home Office holds statistics on notifiable offences recorded by the police. The police record offences of criminal damage, in a number of categories and supply this information to the Home Office. Shooting of cats and other animals are most likely to be recorded within ‘other criminal damage’ and cannot be separately identified within this category.The Home Office Publishes open crime data at police force area level, which can be used to show how many ‘other criminal damage’ offences have been recorded in England in the last three years. These can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Crimes of Violence

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to address robberies and assaults by gangs on scooters and mopeds.

Victoria Atkins: We are working with other government departments, the police, industry and representative groups to identify what more can be done to prevent these crimes and to keep the public safe, and to develop an action plan focused on real and effective action.This work sits alongside the review that the Government is currently conducting to look at the law, guidance and practice surrounding police pursuits and response driving.

Home Office: Brexit

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has applied to the Chancellor of the Exchequer for any contingency funding relating to the UK leaving the EU for (a) 2018 and (b) 2019.

Caroline  Nokes: We have agreed with HMT additional funding of £60m to support planning and implementation work relating to the UK leaving the EU for (a) 2017-18. Requirements for (b) 2018-19 are still under discussion with HMT and announcements will be made in due course.

Doctors: Migrant Workers

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has received representations on doctors from overseas being prevented from working in the NHS on account of immigration rules relating to their salaries; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline  Nokes: We have received representations concerning the recruitment of overseas doctors under Tier 2 (General), our main immigration work route for non-EEA workers. The minimum salary thresholds were set following consultation with the independent Migration Advisory Committee and are based on pay scales published by the NHS – and have not been recently changed.When we receive more applications than the number of places available in any given month, priority is given – through the award of points– first to occupations in UK shortage as identified by the independent Migration Advisory Committee, then to PhD-level occupations, and followed by economically valuable jobs paying higher salaries.

Northern Ireland Office

LGBT People: Northern Ireland

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will meet representatives of the Love Equality Coalition to discuss moves to improve LGBT rights in Northern Ireland.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland intends to meet Love Equality in the coming weeks, subject to diary commitments.

LGBT People: Northern Ireland

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with representatives of the DUP and Sinn Fein on cross-party attempts to improve LGBT rights in Northern Ireland.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has discussed a wide range of issues with the Northern Ireland parties, with the focus of initial engagement being the restoration of a fully functioning Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive.

European Capital of Culture: Northern Ireland

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what support her Department provided to the joint bid by Belfast City Council and Derry and Strabane District Council to be named European Capital of Culture.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Belfast City Council, working in partnership with Derry City and Strabane District Council, submitted a bid to become the UK’s host for European Capital of Culture in 2023. While the Department has not been involved in that council-led process, the UK Government is disappointed with the European Commission’s actions in discontinuing the competition and will seek further dialogue on this issue. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is continuing to work closely with the five cities that submitted bids.

Northern Ireland Office: Staff

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many staff were employed by her Department in each year since 1996.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Because of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, and subsequent reconfiguration of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), the NIO does not hold figures for the periods prior to 2010. Attempting to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost. The figures below are taken from the NIO annual report and accounts for 2010/11 to 2016/17 and show the numbers of staff employed by the NIO or loaned from other government departments, and seconded staff working in the core NIO. Reporting YearsNumber of Directly Employed/loaned StaffNumber of Seconded StaffOverall Staff Numbers2010/1179851642011/1285691542012/1393721652013/14101621632015/16105211262016/17103301332017/18*10636142* As of 25 January 2018

Peace Lines: Northern Ireland

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many peace walls there are in Northern Ireland; and how many there were in each year since 1997.

Mr Shailesh Vara: In line with the terms of the devolution settlement, responsibility for interface barriers falls under the remit of the devolved administration. The hon Gentleman may wish to direct his question to the Northern Ireland Department of Justice for detailed statistics. It is regrettable that additional so-called peace walls (or interface barriers) have been erected since the signing of the Belfast Agreement in 1998 and still divide communities today. It underlines the need for the UK Government and a restored Northern Ireland Executive to work together to build a stronger and shared society, as set out in the 2013 economic pact, 'Building a Prosperous and United Community’, and the Executive’s ‘Together: Building a United Community’ Strategy. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is working tirelessly with the parties and the Irish Government, in accordance with the well-established three-stranded approach, to create the conditions under which devolved government can return to Northern Ireland. We want to see a society in which these walls are not present and the whole community can live in peace together, as we build a Northern Ireland fit for the future.

Northern Ireland Office: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many special advisers were employed in her Department in each year from 1997 to 2018.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Because of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, and subsequent reconfiguration of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), the NIO does not hold figures for the periods prior to 2010. Attempting to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost. The figures below are taken from the NIO annual report and accounts for 2010/11 to 2016/17 and show the number of special advisers employed by the NIO. YearNo. Special Advisers2010-1112011-1212012-1312013-1412014-1512015-1612016-1712017-18*2* As of 25 January 2018

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadcasting: Equality

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to promote regional diversity in broadcasting.

Margot James: This government is committed to spreading jobs and prosperity throughout the UK, and it is important that our broadcasting sector provides for and reflects the whole country. As part of this, we have made clear that Channel 4 must make a greater regional impact. We are in discussions with Channel 4 about how they should do this, and we will set out next steps soon.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Former Members

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many former Conservative Members of Parliament who were defeated at the 2017 general election and who now work in his Department were appointed after a publicly advertised and open recruitment process.

Tracey Crouch: DCMS does not employ any former Conservative Members of Parliament defeated at the General Election 2017.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Beverage Containers

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many disposable coffee cups were purchased by his Department in each of the last five years.

Tracey Crouch: The information requested is not held centrally, and to obtain it would incur a disproportionate cost.

Football: Racial Discrimination

Fiona Onasanya: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department has taken to support grassroots football organisations in tackling racism.

Tracey Crouch: Our aim is to get more children and young people playing football and volunteering in the game and the 2018 World Cup in Russia promises to be a great spectacle for inspiring young people to take up and remain in the sport. Through the year-on-year investment, we will be funding grassroots programmes in schools and clubs and in the provision of new facilities and all-weather pitches that encourage greater levels of participation up to, during and after the World Cup. The Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people, particularly those who are currently least active or from under-represented groups, have the best opportunities to engage in sport and physical activity.

Telecommunications

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals for an independent consumer advocate for the telecoms industry.

Margot James: The Communications Consumer Panel currently provides Ofcom with advice about the interests of consumers in the communications sector, as required under the Communications Act 2003. The Consumer Green paper will tackle areas where markets are not working well for consumers, including in the communications sector.

Orchestras

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 4.5 of Brexit – the impact on British Orchestras, published by the Association of British Orchestras in December 2017, what discussions he has had with the EU Commission on maintaining access to the A1 system after the UK leaves the European Union; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Ellis: The Government recognises that the A1 form is an important tool for ensuring that artists and musicians do not have social security payments deducted when working in other EU countries. As part of the exit negotiations the Government will discuss with the EU and Member States ways to ensure that touring performers will not have unnecessary tax burdens when touring Europe.

Musicians: Travel

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the EU Commission on the (a) introduction of carnets for transporting musical instruments and (b) application of the visa-national PPE system to EEA citizens after the UK leaves the EU.

Michael Ellis: We recognise the need for movement into and out of the UK for the purpose of short-term engagements including orchestral performances, touring and festivals once the UK has left the European Union. The Customs Bill sets out the Government’s aspirations for the UK’s future customs arrangements and the Government’s approach to the new partnership with the EU. The Government is committed to ensuring the cultural and creative sectors remain a key component of the UK economy for decades to come, and the UK will continue to have world-class arts and cultural organisations. DCMS is working closely with Home Office and the independent Migration Advisory Committee to ensure the needs of the arts and cultural sectors are understood.

Orchestras

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the role of British orchestras in promoting UK cultural exchange.

Michael Ellis: Our orchestras are rightly regarded as among the best in the world, and are great cultural ambassadors for the UK. The Government recognises that orchestras play an important role in promoting cultural exchange, taking conductors and musicians from the UK around the world and performing to global audiences. Orchestras also attract international composers and musicians to the UK to perform for British audiences.

Bayeux Tapestry

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of temporarily displaying the Bayeux Tapestry in the National Museum of Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Ellis: The level of interest generated by the announcement of the prospective loan of the Bayeux Tapestry shows the great appetite of the UK public for our culture and history. I note the expression of interest of the National Museum of Wales, and many other fine institutions. A decision on where to host the tapestry when it comes to the UK will be made in full consultation with the authorities of the Bayeux Museum. Our primary consideration must be to ensure that the Tapestry is housed in an appropriate venue and that it is accessible by as many people as possible.

Football: World Cup

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department plans to run programmes to increase youth participation in football and other sports alongside the FIFA World Cup 2018.

Tracey Crouch: Our aim is to get more children and young people playing football and volunteering in the game and the 2018 World Cup in Russia promises to be a great opportunity for inspiring young people to take up and remain in the sport. Through the year-on-year investment, we will be funding grassroots programmes in schools and clubs and in the provision of new facilities and all-weather pitches that encourage greater levels of participation up to, during and after the World Cup. The Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people, particularly those who are currently least active or from under-represented groups, have the best opportunities to engage in sport and physical activity.

International Broadcasting

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to ensure that the UK retains its status as a European broadcasting hub after the UK leaves the EU.

Margot James: The UK is an important hub for international broadcasting businesses due to its favourable regulatory and economic environment, access to world class skills and talent, and well as cultural factors, such as language. We are committed to working with the sector to understand their needs and concerns relating to the UK exiting the EU. We will work hard to secure the best deal for the UK on exit, and ensure that our relationship with the EU works for the industry.

International Broadcasting

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many international broadcasters currently hold an Ofcom licence that allows them to broadcast throughout the EU.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of Ofcom broadcast licence holders broadcast primarily outside the UK.

Margot James: All Ofcom broadcast licence holders are allowed to provide broadcasting services throughout the EU. The Country of Origin principle, which underpins the single market for audiovisual media services, enables broadcasters to obtain a broadcasting licence in one EU Member State for all their channels and services in different EU countries. The UK is currently one of the biggest European broadcasting hubs. According to a 2017 report by European Audiovisual Observatory, 758 channels based in the UK mainly target the European market. This represents 55% of the TV channels which hold Ofcom licenses.Similarly, around half of the UK-based video-on-demand services (152 video-on-demand services) primarily target EU audiences.

Broadcasting: Licensing

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on maintaining current broadcast licensing arrangements during the transition period after March 2019.

Margot James: We continue to engage constructively with the Department for Exiting the European Union to ensure that we provide our broadcasters with stability and certainty in the period leading up to the UK’s departure from the EU. As the Prime Minister set out, the UK is seeking a strictly time-limited implementation period, based on the existing structure of EU rules and regulations, during which the UK and the EU would continue to have access to one another’s markets on current terms.

International Broadcasting

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK-based jobs which are linked to international broadcasters which are licensed by Ofcom and mainly broadcast outside the UK.

Margot James: DCMS economic estimates show that 194,000 people were employed in the wider audiovisual sector in 2016. However, we do not possess granular data on international broadcasting specifically.

Broadcasting: Licensing

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many officials in his Department are working on broadcast licensing as part of any future trade deal that the UK agrees with the EU.

Margot James: Staff within DCMS’ Media Team and EU Team lead on providing advice to Ministers on broadcasting and EU exit. Members of staff across the Department also provide advice and analyses on EU exit issues as required. Given the interactions between broadcasting policy, EU exit work and the Department's other priorities, it would not be possible to give an accurate figure.

Voluntary Organisations

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the extent to which local authorities’ compacts with the voluntary sector are being complied with in practice; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: Compacts between local authorities and civil society can be an effective means of strengthening partnership working and delivering better outcomes to those in need. It is the responsibility of local authorities to decide whether a local compact would be of value in their area and to ensure that it is complied with where they are put in place. The Government's forthcoming Civil Society Strategy will provide an opportunity to consider practical ways of improving cross sectoral partnerships.

Sports: Hearing Impairment

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what measures are in place to ensure that professional athletes who suffer from hearing impairments and cannot register under the British Paralympic Association are not at a disadvantage when having to compete alongside other athletes who do not have hearing impairments.

Tracey Crouch: We recognise the importance of sport and physical activity for disabled people who take part at both grassroots and the elite level. We would expect national governing bodies of sport (NGBs) to identify hearing impaired athletes through their talent pathway programmes and put a support plan in place. NGBs also work with the relevant International Federation, where necessary, to help ensure that hearing impaired athletes can compete alongside those who do not have hearing impairments.

Video Games: Children

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to regulate the sale of loot boxes to people aged under under 18.

Margot James: Consumers are protected by the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. This includes a requirement on businesses not to subject anyone to misleading or aggressive marketing practices, or, for example, direct exhortation to buy products, such as games content, including in-game purchases such as loot boxes. The government is committed to ensuring that consumers are properly protected and that children’s vulnerability and inexperience is not exploited by aggressive commercial practices. On 11 October we published the Internet Safety Strategy, setting out plans to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. The Strategy outlines how the government will work with online platforms, game publishers and game developers, and with agencies such as the VSC Rating Board, to continue to improve online safety in games. This includes promoting further awareness and understanding of PEGI age ratings, parental controls and advice on safe gaming.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Directors

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who the the lead non-executive director and other non-executive director board members are in his Department.

Tracey Crouch: The information requested can found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-digital-culture-media-sport.

Youth Social Action Review

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons the full-time social action review has been delayed.

Tracey Crouch: The Chair of the Review of Full Time Social Action requested an extension of one month to complete his report.

Government Equalities Office: Presidents Club

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to have discussions with the Charity Commission as result of the closure of the Presidents Club charitable club; and if she will make a statement.

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an inquiry into the events which led to the closure of the Presidents Club Charitable Trust.

Tracey Crouch: This is a matter for the Charity Commission as independent registrar and regulator of charities in England and Wales. The Commission has said that, on seeing the reported events, it immediately contacted the Presidents Club Charitable Trust and called for an urgent meeting. The Commission is also engaging with the Financial Times whose investigation uncovered the activities of the Presidents Club Charity Dinner, and has requested any further evidence to ensure it can look into these matters fully and robustly. The Commission has said that it will deal robustly with any misconduct or mismanagement it finds, will consider what further regulatory action may be required and will ensure that the charity is wound up in an orderly manner and that any remaining funds are distributed correctly. The Commission has also confirmed that it is in discussion with Equality and Human Rights Commission about these matters.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Space Technology: Mining

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government is taking steps to attract the asteroid mining industry to the UK.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The UK Space Agency is supporting the British Space Sector including exciting new commercial ideas such as the robotic assembly and servicing of satellites in space and aligning UK leadership in small satellite manufacture with our ambition to enable commercial small satellite launch from UK spaceports.

Nuclear Power Stations: Community Development

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 17 July 2013, WMS106 on New Nuclear Power Stations (Community Benefits) how much of the money distributed came from (a) additional funding and (b) existing sources of local authority revenue.

Richard Harrington: Community benefits are not paid to any new nuclear community until the new station starts generating. As set out in the 2013 Written Ministerial Statement, under the current policy community benefits would be paid in two phases: Firstly local authorities would retain a share of the business rates from the power station, up until the end of the decade in which it comes online. Thereafter, the remaining balance of the community benefit package would be paid directly from central government. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government are making changes to business rates retention policy and the Department is engaged with them to understand the potential implications for the delivery mechanism for community benefits.

Retail Trade: Scotland

Paul Masterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to support the retail sector in Scotland.

Andrew Griffiths: BEIS Ministers regularly engage with retailers based throughout the UK to understand their priorities and work with colleagues across Government to optimise the conditions for the sector. Specific initiatives which have benefited retailers include: the reduction in the corporation tax rate to 19%, with further plans to cut it further to 17% in 2020 and the introduction of the Employment Allowance, giving employers up to £3000 off their National Insurance contributions (NICs) bill, benefitting 1m employers. The Government has also introduced the Great British High Street Competition, now in its third year, which celebrates the achievements of local areas in creating vibrant and dynamic high streets and is open to applications from any community large or small.

UK Climate Investments

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which projects have received funding from UK Climate Investments; and how much of that funding has been spent to date.

Claire Perry: UK Climate Investments has so far has completed one investment, in a partnership platform alongside UK solar company Lightsource BP to fund the development, acquisition and ownership of large scale solar power generation assets in India. The construction of an initial 60MWp project in the Indian state of Maharastra is underway.UK Climate Investments has earmarked up to £30m in aggregate for this project and for a broader partnership with Lightsource to develop and construct up to a total of 300MW of PV projects. Just over £5.2m has been spent to date by UK Climate Investments on this project, including due diligence and other transaction costs.

Insolvency

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of business insolvencies in the last two years.

Andrew Griffiths: The Insolvency Service produces quarterly statistics on the number of new insolvencies for companies and individuals in England and Wales. The most recent statistics, covering the period October to December 2017, which include a comparison with previous periods, were published on Friday 26 January 2018 on Gov.uk.

Nuclear Power Stations: Costs

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse to date of the (a) Hinkley Point C and (b) Moorside nuclear projects.

Richard Harrington: The estimated cost to the Department to date for Hinkley Point C, for the internal project team and external advisers, is approximately £26m. Since the Moorside project is in predevelopment phase, we do not have a project specific estimate of Departmental costs.

Companies: Registration

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2018 to Question 122724, on companies: registration, what proportion of those queries categorised as alleged fraudulent activity/breaches of Companies Act were relayed to the appropriate team.

Andrew Griffiths: All of the queries categorised as alleged fraudulent activity/breaches of Companies Act were relayed to the appropriate team.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Drinking Water

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much money his Department has spent on bottled water in each year since 2010.

Richard Harrington: We do not hold this information.

Energy: Meters

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps are being taken to inform the general public about the limitations of first generation smart meters; and what plans he has to ensure that the roll-out of second generation meters removes those limitations.

Claire Perry: Under licence conditions, energy suppliers must inform their customers prior to the installation of a smart meter that they may lose meter functionality when switching. In addition, before any switch is concluded, the new supplier must tell the consumer about any change in how their meter will operate and the service they will receive. These requirements aim to help consumers make informed decisions about switching, in the period before first generation smart meters are enrolled into the national data and communications platform and thus can be operated by any energy supplier. Second generation meters use the smart metering infrastructure run by the Data and Communications Company and will enable all consumers to retain their smart functionality when they switch supplier.

Office for Product Safety and Standards: Finance

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what funding has been allocated from the public purse for the Office for Product Safety and Standards.

Andrew Griffiths: The Office for Product Safety and Standards will have a budget of around £12 million per year to fund additional product safety activities, when it is fully operational. Initially, this new capacity will be funded through central Government but, longer-term, the Government will consider alternative funding options.

Fireworks

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on the (a) quantity and (b) value of fireworks sold in each of the last five years.

Andrew Griffiths: The Department does not hold information requested for each of the last five years. An estimate made by the Department in 2015, based upon data from industry, showed the market for consumer fireworks to be worth about £60-70 million annually in the UK, around £24 million for professional fireworks and in the region of £5 million for theatrical pyrotechnics. (source - Impact Assessment no IA No: RPC 14-BIS-2216(2) - Implementation of two pyrotechnic article Directives: (i) 2013/29/EU alignment to the New Legislative Framework and (ii) 2014/58/EU relating to traceability. See http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2015/256/pdfs/ukia_20150256_en.pdf

Fireworks

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of trends in public opinion on the use of fireworks; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Griffiths: There has always been a strong interest in the issue of fireworks use and safety. The Department has a number of ways to gauge public opinion including correspondence from members of the public, participation in e-petitions and engagement with stakeholders. We are keen to hear from members of the public on this issue and an e-petition debate on fireworks is being held in Westminster Hall today.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Directors

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, who the lead non-executive director and other non-executive director board members are in his Department.

Richard Harrington: Our Lead Non-Executive Board Member is Archie Norman.Our Non-Executive Board Members are Professor Dame Ann Dowling DBE, Stephen A. Carter, Dame Carolyn McCall, Kathryn Parsons, Stuart Quickenden and Charles Randell CBE. Information on our Non-Executive Board Members can be found on the gov.uk website (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy) under ‘Our Management’. Further information can also be found in the BEIS Annual Report and Accounts (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/641623/beis-annual-report-accounts-2016-17-update-2-web.pdf) from p.44.

Energy: Prices

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2018 to Question 122980, what assessment his Department has made of the cost that is likely be incurred by energy companies in challenging Ofgem’s decision on the setting of the cap by way of judicial review in comparison with the cost that is incurred by energy companies in appealing to the Competition and Markets Authority.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy: Prices

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2018 to Question 122977, which countries that regulate retail energy prices were considered by his Department prior to publishing the draft Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Work Experience

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate his Department has made of the total number of (a) paid and (b) unpaid internships in the UK.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government has not made an estimate of the number of interns in the UK since 2010. The estimate produced in 2010 was based on evidence from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), combined with a number of other assumptions and should be treated as indicative only. If an intern is classified as a “worker”, they are entitled to at least the National Minimum Wage from day one of their employment.

Carillion: Insolvency

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect on subcontractors in the construction industry of the liquidation of Carillion; and whether he plans to set up a taskforce to support those companies.

Andrew Griffiths: The nature of Carillion’s business was to sub-contract significant proportions of its work and a significant number of those sub-contractors have sub-contracted further elements. The complexity of the contracting structure is such that it is not possible for Government at this stage in the liquidation process to have a complete picture of subcontractors affected. The Official Receiver is continuing to work through Carillion’s systems to identify all contracts.We have established a Taskforce to support businesses affected by the Carillion. The taskforce includes representatives from leading business bodies, the construction sector, unions, banks and government to advise how to mitigate impacts on the supply chain and employees. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have held three meetings with them so far and we have already made good progress in exchange of information and collaborations and to identify key actions that need to be taken.

Carillion: Insolvency

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2018 to question 123102, which business organisations were represented at the Carillion taskforce meeting referred to in that Answer.

Andrew Griffiths: The taskforce, chaired by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State, comprises the TUC, the Federation of Small Businesses, Build UK, the Specialist Engineering Contractors (SEC) Group, Construction Industry Training Board, British Business Bank, Small Business Commissioner; UK Finance, the Local Government Association, the Cabinet Office and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Carillion: Insolvency

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2018 to Question 123102, on Carillion: Insolvency, what assurances were given by the major high street lenders referred to in that Answer.

Andrew Griffiths: As stated in my answer of 22 January, lenders gave their assurances to contact customers, where appropriate, and are putting in place emergency measures, including overdraft extensions, payment holidays and fee waivers to ensure those facing short term issues can be helped to stay on track. Further information can be obtained at: https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/banks-offer-support-to-business-customers-impacted-by-carillion/.

Carillion: Insolvency

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2018 to Question 123102, on Carillion: Insolvency, for how long the major high street lenders indicated they are prepared to put in place (a) overdraft extensions, (b) payment holidays and (c) fee waivers.

Andrew Griffiths: The high street lenders have not set any time limit. UK Finance are clear that the High Street Lenders are prepared to have these measures in place as long as needed to deal with the cash flow difficulties that solvent members of the Carillion supply chain are dealing with in the immediate aftermath of the collapse. Where appropriate, lenders are contacting customers and are putting in place emergency measures, including overdraft extensions, payment holidays and fee waivers to ensure those facing short term issues can be helped to stay on track. As a result £900 million has been made available.

Carillion: Insolvency

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2018 to Question 123102, on Carillion: Insolvency, what additional resources he is providing to the Local Growth Hubs referred to in that Answer.

Andrew Griffiths: We have announced within the Industrial Strategy our intention to ensure all businesses in every region have access to a Growth Hub. We will therefore build on this programme, providing a further £24m of core funding to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) for Growth Hubs (£12m in 2018-19 and a further £12m in 2019-2020), with allocations to LEPs remaining at current levels over this 2 year period.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Parking: Fees and Charges

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to review the regulation of the level of charges made by private parking operators for vehicles parking on private land in respect of the Unfair Terms of Consumer Contracts Act 1999.

Rishi Sunak: The Government promotes a system of self-regulation by the private parking industry. Private parking companies must be a member of a trade association if they wish to access the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data and then issue parking charges to the owner of a vehicle. The two parking trade associations, the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC), have their own codes of practice and appeal procedures to which they expect their members to adhere.Sir Greg Knight has introduced a Private Members’ Bill that seeks to create an independent code of practice for private parking companies. In line with the Manifesto, the Government fully supports Sir Greg’s Bill and seeks to get the fairest deal for motorists whilst helping to tackle rogue private parking companies. Should the Bill progress, there will be an opportunity to consider the obligations on private parking companies. The Bill is due for second reading on 2 February 2018. Further information is available here http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2017-19/parkingcodeofpractice.html

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Former Members

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many former Conservative Members of Parliament who were defeated at the 2017 general election and who now work in his Department were appointed after a publicly advertised and open recruitment process.

Jake Berry: No former Conservative Members of Parliament have been appointed to the Department since the 2017 General Election.

Parking

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will introduce a single code of conduct for private parking operators; and if he will estimate the number of car parking fine appeals that have been processed in each year since 2010.

Rishi Sunak: Holding answer received on 25 January 2018



Sir Greg Knight has introduced a Private Members’ Bill that seeks to create an independent code of practice for private parking companies. In line with the Manifesto, the Government fully supports Sir Greg Knight's Bill and seeks to get the fairest deal for motorists whilst helping to tackle rogue private parking companies. Should the Bill progress, there will be an opportunity to consider the obligations on private parking companies. The Bill is due for second reading on 2 February 2018 and I will be speaking in the Commons to voice the Government’s and my personal support. Further information is available here http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2017-19/parkingcodeofpractice.html.The number of appeals processed by either private parking companies or local authorities is not data that is collected by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.

Catering: Contracts

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the cost was of contracts for catering services that have been contracted out by each local authority by service service provider for (a) schools (b) local government, (c) adult social care and (d) residential care homes in each year since 2010.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the cost was of contracted out management services for local authority libraries by service provider, in each year since 2010.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the cost was of contracted out general cleaning services for each local authority general cleaning services, by service provider, in each year since 2010.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the total value of contracts to provide school cleaning services was for each service provider that secured at least one such contract in each year since 2010.

Rishi Sunak: Local authorities are responsible for their contracts and the Government does not record or hold data on contracts awarded by local authorities. However, the Local Government Transparency Code 2015 requires local authorities to publish details of any contract, commissioned activity, purchase order, framework agreement and any other legally enforceable agreement with a value that exceeds £5,000.The Code also recommends that local authorities publish details of every invitation to tender for contracts to provide goods and/or services with a value that exceeds £500 instead of £5,000.

Leasehold: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that leaseholders do not pay the full cost of any vital fire safety work as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 25 January 2018



The Secretary of State announced on 4 December that the department is providing additional funding to the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE), an arm’s length-body which provides free initial legal advice to leaseholders, to advise on fire safety issues.Just as social landlords are not seeking to pass on costs for cladding remediation, in the private sector we believe that the morally right thing to do is for landlords to not pass these costs onto leaseholders.The department is keeping the situation under review.

Local Government Services: Greater London

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what account his Department takes of the relatively high cost of delivering local services in London in determining the local government finance settlement.

Rishi Sunak: The most recent assessment of local authorities’ relative needs and resources took place in 2013-14 alongside the introduction of the 50 per cent business rates retention system. The demand for local services was assessed through funding formulas which took into account the relative cost of delivering services across the country, including London.The costs of providing comparable services differ between areas partly because of their differing characteristics (such as numbers of elderly people, or lengths of road) and partly because of differences in the costs of inputs which local authorities need to buy. An area cost adjustment is included in the current assessment to allow for the latter of these differences, and reflects two sources of differences in costs between areas: differences in labour costs; and differences in business rates paid on local authority premises.At present the Government is carrying out a fair funding review of local authorities’ relative needs and resources, and we are working closely with the Local Government Association and representatives from across local government to ensure that we consider all the issues that impact on authorities’ relative need to spend on services and their capacity to fund these from local resources.Amongst the issues we will consider are the impact of geographical factors such as area-related costs and rurality, and how to account for these within a new methodology.

Local Government Finance: Wirral

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the core spending power of Wirral Council was in each financial year since 2010-11.

Rishi Sunak: Prior to the 2016-17 settlement, the definition of spending power changed every year to reflect the changing finance and function of local government. Information on spending power for Wirral Council is published at the following links:2011-12http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140505110052/http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1112/spfull1s.xls2012-13http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140505110056/http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1112/spfull2s3.xls2013-14http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140505104701/http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1314/1314SPsuppinfos.xls2014-15https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/277395/Spending_Power_2014-15_supporting_information_final_settlement.xls2015-16https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/400630/Spending_Power_2015-16_Supporting_Information_FINAL.xlsx2015-16 to 2019-20https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/669557/Core_Spending_Power_Supporting_Information.xlsx

Housing: Construction

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of the use of flat-pack housing by local authorities to tackle housing shortages.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to increasing the supply of houses and that requires a modern construction industry. Building more homes using modern methods of construction, including offsite and smart techniques, is a key part of this.New technology has improved productivity, quality and choice in a range of sectors and we want to see the same happen in housing.That is why the Housing White Paper talks about specific measures to stimulate the growth of modern methods of construction, including how we will help to create a pipeline of opportunities to give confidence to the sector and investors.For instance, the Home Building Fund provides support to builders using modern methods of construction, in addition to custom builders and new entrants to the market. The Autumn Budget added a further £1.5 billion to the fund, specifically targeted at supporting small and medium-sized builders who cannot access the finance they need to build.We are also delivering on our commitment to create a working group to look at the assurance, insurance and mortgages for modern methods of construction. The group, chaired by industry expert Mark Farmer, met for the first time in December.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Approved Document B allows for combustible material to be used in the cladding of a building with a storey of 18 metres or more above ground level.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many times which materials have failed the 8414 large-scale tests conducted by the Building Research Establishment in the last 5 years; and of those materials that failed such tests what information his Department holds on how many buildings there are that are clad in those materials.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing: Safety

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure the costs of making buildings safe are not passed on to tenants.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

EU Grants and Loans

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Government's consultation on the Shared Prosperity Fund will open; and when the Government plans to publish a response to that consultation.

Jake Berry: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be a domestic programme of investment to boost productivity and reduce economic inequality across the country, following our departure from the European Union. We will consult widely on the design of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2018 and will work with the devolved administrations prior to the public consultation.

Right to Buy Scheme

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding has been allocated by his Department to the voluntary right to buy pilot process for each of the next five years; and how much of that funding has been spent.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: I refer the Rt Hon member to the answer of 117167. The pilot is due to commence in the Midlands in summer 2018.

Right to Buy Scheme

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of houses that will be sold in each of the next five years as a result of the voluntary right to buy pilots.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The voluntary Right to Buy regional pilot will give thousands more housing association tenants the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of home ownership. The Government is currently engaging with the National Housing Federation and the specific housing associations in the Midlands and more details on the pilot will be announced in due course.

Supported Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the number of supported housing (a) units and (b) residents living in short-term supported housing.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The most recent estimate is contained in the Supported Accommodation Review published on 21 November 2016 and available from the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supported-accommodation-reviewThe Department does not currently hold figures for the number in short term versus other supported housing units, however plans are in place to collect additional housing benefit data over the next year to support the development of the recently announced supported housing funding model.

Supported Housing

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the Government to publish its response to the consultation on the Review of Supported Housing Funding which closed on 23 January 2018.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The consultations on the short-term accommodation grant and sheltered housing model closed on Tuesday 23 January 2018.We will now consider all responses and the Government will provide a full response in the early summer of 2018. In the meantime we will continue to work with providers and local government on the details of the proposed funding models.

Social Services

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the average waiting times for money management arrangements for personal care budgets in social care to be put in place by each local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Rishi Sunak: The Department does not hold this information. Policy responsibility for Personal Care Budgets lies with the Department of Health and Social Care.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Drinking Water

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much money his Department has spent on bottled water in each year since 2010.

Jake Berry: The department does not purchase bottled water for meetings or water cooler bottles. The water coolers use water which feeds directly from the mains supply.

South Tyneside Council: Health Services

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has received representations from South Tyneside Council on devolving local health services to that local authority.

Rishi Sunak: The Department has not currently received any representations from South Tyneside Council about devolving local health services.

Housing: Cooperatives

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to encourage the growth of housing co-operation; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing: Cooperatives

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many homes that are in housing cooperatives were completed in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Directors

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, who the lead non-executive director and other non-executive director board members are in his Department.

Jake Berry: The department has four Non-Executive Director Board Members. The Lead Non-Executive Director role is currently occupied by Nick Markham and the three remaining Non-Executive Directors are Mary Ney, Daniel Morley and Pam Chesters.

Churches: Bellringing

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2018 to Question 116503, whether the revised National Planning Policy Framework to include new developments will take account of culture, history and tradition where noise nuisance complaints are made about the continued ringing of church bells and chimes by residents living within existing developments.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Churches: Bellringing

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2018 to  Question 116503, whether the revised National Planning Policy Framework to include new development will take account of culture, history and tradition where noise nuisance complaints are made about the continued ringing of church bells and chimes by residents living within developments that have changed in use such as where a house has been converted to a Bed and Breakfast.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Being mindful of mental health - The role of local government in mental health and wellbeing, published by the Local Government Association in June 2017, how many local authorities have established peer networks.

Rishi Sunak: The Department does not hold this information.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Joint Exercises

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans for UK armed forces to participate in joint exercises with the armed forces of  The Republic of Korea, Japan and the US in the next two years.

Mark Lancaster: Yes.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK troops are currently deployed in the UN Command in the Republic of Korea; and what commitments have been made to increase that commitment in the event of increased tensions or military conflict.

Mark Lancaster: There are currently two employed in United Nations Command Korea staff branches and one in a United States Forces Korea staff branch.

South Sudan: Armed Forces

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the UK armed forces are stationed in South Sudan.

Mark Lancaster: On 2 January 2018, there were 345 members of the UK Armed Forces deployed in South Sudan.

North Korea: Guided Weapons

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2018 to Question 121389, what the latest date was on which he was briefed on the development of North Korean Ballistic Missile capability and the conduct of significant tests.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to his Question 121389 on 15 January 2018.The Secretary of State for Defence is briefed on a regular and frequent basis about the development of North Korean Ballistic Missile capability, as he is on a range of defence issues.



North Korea:Nuclear Weapons
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Ministry of Defence: Chemring Group

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the contracts that his Department has entered into with Chemring and its subsidiaries in each of the past 10 years.

Guto Bebb: Since 2008, the Ministry of Defence has entered into more than 70 contracts with the Chemring group. These are for a range of services. I am withholding further details as disclosure would prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Warships: Shipbuilding

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2018 to Question 123707, on Warships: Shipbuilding, if he will place a copy of his Department's internal research on the socio-economic effects of government-supported shipbuilding that was referred to in the Parker report and the National Shipbuilding Strategy in the Library.

Guto Bebb: Internal economic analysis was produced by the Ministry of Defence to support the National Ship Building Strategy (NSBS).The conclusions of the research were summarised in the published NSBS strategy document. The underpinning research contains commercially sensitive information, which will need to be redacted before it is published. As soon as this has been completed I will place a copy in the Library of the House.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Saudi joint incidents assessment team which reports to the Government on allegations of its own violations of international humanitarian law employs the principles of the Law of Armed Conflict with respect to Saudi Arabia's air campaign in Yemen.

Mark Lancaster: Yes.

Army

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase multinational interoperability.

Mark Lancaster: The UK's Armed Forces are leading contributors to several multinational organisations, coalitions, and frameworks for which military interoperability is a necessary consideration. Key examples of this include our work in NATO, where we work closely with Allies on initiatives such as standardisation and through activities such as the Very High Readiness Task Force and Enhanced Forward Presence. The UK regularly trains and exercises with our multinational counterparts to build interoperability and promote the principal of collective defence.

Army

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Order of Battle is of 77 Brigade.

Mark Lancaster: The order of battle (ORBAT) of units in 77 Brigade is set out below: 77 Brigade UnitsBrigade HeadquartersInformation Activities GroupTask GroupOutreach GroupSupport GroupStaff Corps

HM Treasury

Children: Day Care

Rushanara Ali: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much compensation to date the Government has paid out as a result of problems with the new childcare website.

Rushanara Ali: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints (a) his Department and (b) HMRC have received concerning the new childcare website.

Rushanara Ali: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has been made of the number of parents receiving childcare vouchers who will not be eligible for tax-free childcare.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 22 December 2017 to the Honourable Member for Tottenham (PQ119871).  To date, HMRC have received 3,496 complaints from parents who have experienced technical issues with the childcare service. HMRC have paid £966,666 to parents in lieu of any Tax-Free Childcare payments and £38,949 in redress to parents which recompense parents for inconvenience and expenses such as telephone calls to the helpline.

Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of LINK’s proposed reduction of the interchange fee on (a) consumers (b) small businesses.

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of ATMs which will be withdrawn as a result of LINK's proposed reduction in the interchange fee.

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations his Department has made to LINK on the (a) proposed reduction in the interchange fee and (b) Financial Inclusion Programme.

Simon Hoare: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of LINK’s proposed reduction of the interchange fee on (a) consumers and (b) small businesses.

Simon Hoare: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the number of ATMs that will be withdrawn as a result of a 20 per cent reduction in the LINK interchange fee.

Simon Hoare: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of ATM closures resulting from LINK’s proposed reduction in the interchange fee on (a) North Dorset constituency and (b) other rural communities.

Simon Hoare: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with LINK on (a) the proposed reduction in the interchange fee and (b) the Financial Inclusion Programme.

Robert Jenrick: The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. Government has been engaging and will continue to engage with industry, including LINK, to ensure that this access is maintained. The Government has not made any formal assessment of the potential effect of LINK’s proposals to change the interchange fee rate on consumers, small businesses, the North Dorset constituency or other rural communities. However, the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), which Government set up as an independent regulator in 2015 with a statutory objective to ensure that the UK’s payment systems work in the interests of their users, is monitoring developments within ATM provision, and is conducting ongoing work on the impact that changes may have. The PSR has recently published a summary of their work to date, which can be found at https://www.psr.org.uk/psr-focus/the-UK-ATM-network. The PSR has committed to using its powers to act should any of the firms it regulates behave in a way that conflicts with its statutory objectives. LINK has assured us and the PSR that industry is committed to maintaining an extensive network of free-to-use cash machines, and to ensuring that the present geographical spread of ATMs is maintained. LINK intends to bolster its Financial Inclusion Programme, which ensures the provision of ATMs in areas of deprivation, where demand would not otherwise make one viable, and has also committed to protecting all free-to-use ATMs which are a kilometre or more from the next nearest free-to-use ATM.

Children: Day Care

Maria Eagle: To ask Mr Chancellor the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of previous claimants of childcare vouchers in Garston and Halewood constituency have had their entitlement removed under the new-tax free childcare scheme.

Maria Eagle: To ask Mr Chancellor the Exchequer, how many claimants of childcare vouchers there were in Garston and Halewood constituency in each year since April 2010.

Maria Eagle: To ask Mr Chancellor the Exchequer, how many people were in receipt of tax-free childcare in Garston and Halewood constituency in the most recent period for which data is available..

Maria Eagle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the financial effect on families that were in receipt of childcare vouchers but were not entitled to tax-free childcare.

Maria Eagle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that families with one working parent that were previously in receipt of childcare vouchers do not face financial hardship as a result of the removal of their entitlement under the new tax-free childcare scheme.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 22 December 2017 to the Honourable Member for Tottenham (PQ119871) and to the answer I gave on 25 January 2017 to the Honourable Member for Hull North (123405).

Treasury: Former Members

Luke Pollard: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many former Conservative Members of Parliament who were defeated at the 2017 general election and who now work in his Department were appointed after a publicly advertised and open recruitment process.

Robert Jenrick: No former Conservative Members of Parliament that lost their seats at the 2017 General Election currently work in the Department.

Public Sector: Procurement

Faisal Rashid: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the National Audit Office report on PFI and PF2 published on 18 January 2018, what assessment he has made of the benefits of using publicly financed procurement with fixed-price contracts instead of private finance initiatives.

Robert Jenrick: Prior to approval, all Private Finance 2 proposals should be assessed in line with The HM Treasury’s Green Book, including a comparison against an appropriate publicly funded option.

Public Private Partnerships

Faisal Rashid: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the National Audit Office report on PFI and PF2 published on 18 January 2018, whether his Department plans to conduct a review of the use of PFI and PF2 contracts and their long-term value for money.

Robert Jenrick: We have no plans currently to conduct such a review. Prior to approval, all privately financed contracts should be assessed in line with HM Treasury’s Green Book.

Treasury: Beverage Containers

Mary Creagh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many disposable coffee cups were purchased by his Department in each of the last five years.

Robert Jenrick: HM Treasury does not have information about the use and recycling of disposable coffee cups within the department. Facilities management services in 1 Horse Guards Road are provided to HM Treasury under a 35 year PFI agreement with Exchequer Partnerships Plc. Cups are provided by Exchequer Partnership’s subcontractor.

Children: Day Care

Marsha De Cordova: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department are taking to fix technical problems with HMRC's tax-free childcare system.

Elizabeth Truss: More than 325,000 parents have a live childcare account and are using the childcare service to access government support with childcare. HMRC have delivered a range of improvements and continue to improve the service based on customer feedback. Fewer customers see error screens and the vast majority of customers receive an eligibility response within five working days, if not instantly. They have also recruited more staff to work on the childcare service helpline, to improve the service for customers who need to contact them by telephone.

Children: Day Care

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Economic Secretary to the Treasury on 15 January 2018, Official Report, column WH244, on Childcare Vouchers, whether parents who are not eligible for tax-free childcare but were claiming childcare vouchers, will become eligible to claim for tax-free childcare if they change their employer after 31 March 2018, and will no longer be entitled to claim childcare vouchers.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department conducted an impact assessment on the effect on low-income households of the closure of the employer supported childcare vouchers scheme.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families in England have used the childcare service helpline  when registering for tax-free childcare.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December to Question 120073 on Children: Day Care, what information his Department holds on households who will receive less financial support as a result of the replacement of childcare vouchers with tax-free childcare.

Elizabeth Truss: Whereas currently around 600,000 families are in receipt of childcare vouchers, we estimate that 1.5 million families with childcare costs will be eligible for Tax-free Childcare. Parents in receipt of childcare vouchers will be able to continue to claim vouchers when the scheme closes to new entrants in April 2018, whilst they work for the same employer and that employer continues to offer them. If they switch employer, they will be eligible for Tax-free childcare if they have a child under the age of 12 and they and their partner, if they have one, each earn at least the equivalent of the National Living Wage for 16 hours a week and no more than £100,000 a year. We do not hold information on how many parents in receipt of vouchers are expected to switch employers. As of 19 January 2018, the helpline had received 769,015 calls from parents.

Self-employed and Small Businesses: Females

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to develop tax incentives and economic support to expand entrepreneurial opportunities for women in micro-businesses or who are self-employed.

Elizabeth Truss: The government supports women entrepreneurs, including those running micro-businesses, and has a number of tax incentives that they benefit from, including Entrepreneurs’ Relief and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme. The government has also supported women who are self-employed by raising the personal allowance to £11,850 in 2018-19, with a commitment to reach £12,500 by 2020-21. In 2018-19, compared to 2015-16, over 700,000 women will be taken out of income tax altogether and 13m women will see their income tax bill reduced. We are working to ensure we have the right support for everyone, including women, to set up and grow a business. As part of the Industrial Strategy, we are identifying ways to tackle barriers faced by female-led businesses in accessing venture capital through new behavioural research commissioned by the British Business Bank. Start-Up Loans (SUL) provide funding and intensive support to new entrepreneurs. As at the end of October 2017, there were over 20,130 loans issued to women totalling over £132.5m. To date 39% of start-up loans have been issued to women. Government has also supported and invested in the creation of a network of 38 Growth Hubs (one in each Local Enterprise Partnership area), providing businesses across England with tailored advice and support. The Business Support Helpline also provides information and guidance to people across England - 49% of users in the last year (2016-17) were women.

Children: Day Care

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report of the Childcare Vouchers Providers Association, The future of childcare support for working parents, published on 20 February 2017, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of that report.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HMRC plans to publish its finalised guidance on the tax-free childcare scheme.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps are being taken to ensure the protection of data belonging to families registering for the tax-free childcare scheme online.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many parents of children with a disability currently claim (a) under the Employer Supported Childcare vouchers scheme and (b) under the tax-free-childcare scheme in England.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice he can provide to parents seeking to claim under the tax-free-childcare scheme who do not meet the earning threshold of £120 per week.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government is investing a record amount on childcare support – around £6 billion per annum. It is important that that investment is properly targeted. Tax-Free Childcare is fairer and better targeted than childcare vouchers and will benefit over 1 million working households.However, parents that are currently using childcare vouchers will be able to continue doing so, while they work for the same employer and that employer continues to offer the scheme. HM Revenue & Customs has published eligibility guidance for Tax-Free Childcare which is regularly updated. The guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs. HM Revenue & Customs handle customer data in line with HM Government standards and in compliance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. Parents can access the childcare calculator on the Childcare Choices website to find out what childcare support they may be entitled to. Tax-Free Childcare is open to all families where parents are in work and expect to earn at least £120 a week, on average, over a three month period (but not more than £100,000 each year). This allows for flexibility if their income varies week to week. Parents on lower incomes may be entitled to tax credits or Universal Credit where they can get help with their eligible childcare costs, in addition to the 15 hours of free childcare available for all 3 and 4 year olds in England. For the number of Tax-Free Childcare accounts for disabled children I refer the honorable member to the answer I gave on 17 January 2017 to the honorable member for Manchester Central (122408). HMRC does not hold information about childcare vouchers used to fund childcare for disabled children.

Economic Growth

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the IMF's revision of the UK's growth outlook from 1.6 to 1.5 per cent for 2019.

John Glen: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an independent international organisation. The official economy and fiscal forecasts produced by the Office for Budget Responsibility are used to inform policy decisions. The IMF recently concluded their Article IV assessment of the UK economy and judge that “The fiscal framework adopted by the authorities prudently aims to reduce the deficit (after accounting for the impact of the economic cycle) to below 2 percent of GDP by 2020/21, and to balance the budget by the middle of the next decade.”

Pre-school Education: Finance

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2018 to Question 123576, on Pre-school Education: Finance, when that Spending Review will take place.

Elizabeth Truss: As the PM confirmed in Cabinet on 23rd January, the government will undertake the next Spending Review in 2019, so that budgets can be set out in advance for 2020 onwards. The exact publication date will be confirmed in due course.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average amount of compensation paid to people who have experienced difficulties with the Childcare Choices website has been; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The vast majority of parents have been able to apply for and use Tax-Free Childcare without difficulty. Where parents have missed out on Tax-Free Childcare payments HMRC will pay compensation to reimburse them. As at 11 January 2018, the average payment made to a parent who had received a payment in lieu of missed Tax-Free Childcare payments was £274. HMRC also makes redress payments to recompense parents for inconvenience and expenses such as telephone calls to the helpline. At 11 January 2018 the average redress payment to a parent who received such a payment was £64.

Employment: Parents

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to encourage employers as a result of the closure of the Employer Supported Childcare vouchers scheme to engage with and support employees who are parents.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason there is a difference in the age of children for which families are eligible to receive support via the (a) childcare vouchers scheme and (b) tax-free childcare scheme.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Written Statement of 15 January 2018, Tax-Free Childcare rollout update, HCWS 401, what assessment he has made of the level of take-up of tax-free childcare accounts.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Economic Secretary to the Treasury of 15 January 2018, Official Report, column 242WH, on Childcare Vouchers, what the evidential basis is for his statement that tax-free childcare has a greater reach than childcare vouchers.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of self-employed parents eligible to claim tax-free childcare (a) have registered for that scheme in England to date and (b) does the Government estimate will register for that scheme in England in each of the next three years.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government is investing a record amount on childcare support – around £6 billion per annum. It is important that that investment is properly targeted. Tax-Free Childcare targets support at those parents with the highest childcare costs, which is usually those with younger children. We recognise the additional childcare costs for parents of children with disabilities so they can continue to receive Tax-Free Childcare until the child is 17. Tax-Free Childcare is designed to be fairer and better targeted than childcare vouchers. We estimate that 1.5 million families will be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, and have childcare costs, whilst there are 600,000 families currently receiving childcare vouchers. This means we estimate that TFC potentially supports 900k more families with the cost of childcare. We have been gradually rolling out Tax-Free Childcare and over 170,000 parents now have a Tax-Free Childcare account. From 14 February 2017 all eligible parents will be able to apply. Having put in place service improvements we have started marketing activity to encourage more parents to take up the support they are entitled to. For the number of self-employed parents using Tax-Free Childcare I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave on 29 November 2017 to the honourable member for Batley and Spen (116593). An estimate of the number of applications we expect from self-employed parents is not available. The introduction of Tax-Free Childcare is an opportunity for all employers to engage with working parents, not just the minority who offer childcare vouchers. HMRC are working with employers so that they understand, and can advise their employees about, the benefits of Tax-Free Childcare.

Children: Day Care

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will commission a distributional impact assessment of his Department’s policy to close childcare vouchers.

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative estimate he has made of the number of families who will receive support under (a) tax-free childcare and (b) childcare vouchers.

Elizabeth Truss: We believe it is right to support those on middle incomes, as well as those on lower incomes, with the cost of childcare. Whilst those on lower incomes will be able to access more generous support through tax credits or universal credit, both Employer-supported Childcare and Tax-free Childcare benefit those on middle and higher incomes, who are not in receipt of universal credit but may still find it difficult to manage the cost of childcare.

Cash Dispensing: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will conduct an assessment of the effect of RBS bank branch closures on free access to cash in Scotland; and what discussions he has had with the Payment Systems Regulator on potential intervention with respect to a reduction in the availability of free access to cash.

Alison Thewliss: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will write to RBS to ask whether it plans to provide ATMs and community banking services in respect of branch closures in Scotland.

Alison Thewliss: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from (a) the Payment Systems Regulator and (b) LINK on free to use ATMs in the last 12 months.

John Glen: The Government does not make assessments of bank branch closures. The decision to open or close a branch is a commercial decision, in which the Government does not intervene. However, the impact on communities must be understood, considered and mitigated where possible. That is why the Government supports the industry’s Access to Banking Standard, which ensures customers understand the options they have locally to continue to access banking services, including specialist assistance for customers who need more help. The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. The Government has been engaging regularly with LINK and the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) to ensure that widespread free access is maintained. The PSR, which Government set up as an independent regulator in 2015 with a statutory objective to ensure that the UK’s payment systems work in the interests of their users, is monitoring developments within ATM provision, and is conducting ongoing work on the impact that changes may have. The PSR has recently published a summary of their work to date, which can be found at https://www.psr.org.uk/psr-focus/the-UK-ATM-network. The PSR has informed us that it is committed to using its powers to act should any of the firms it regulates behave in a way that conflicts with its statutory objectives. LINK has assured us and the PSR that industry is committed to maintaining an extensive network of free-to-use cash machines, and to ensuring that the present geographical spread of ATMs is maintained. LINK intends to bolster its Financial Inclusion Programme, which ensures the provision of ATMs in areas of deprivation, where demand would not otherwise make one viable, and has also committed to protecting all free-to-use ATMs which are a kilometre or more from the next nearest free-to-use ATM.

Export Control Act 2002: Arrests

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many arrests have been made under the provisions of the Export Control Act 2002 in each year since that Act came into effect; how many charging decisions have been received on such breaches from the CPS; on what dates such decisions were received; and how many criminal convictions have resulted from each such charging decision.

Mel Stride: Information on HMRC enforcement outcomes is published in the Strategic Export Controls Annual Reports which are available on the gov.uk. Website. The specific information requested is not readily available. HMRC takes breaches of strategic export controls very seriously but does not view a criminal prosecution as the only successful law enforcement outcome in all cases. There are several other options they can and regularly do exercise; these include building awareness, sending warning letters, issuing compound penalties and seizure or disruption actions.

Cooperatives and Mutual Societies: Capital Investment

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help co-operatives and mutuals obtain access to capital for expansion and referencing; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: The Government recognises the importance of long-term investment capital for all businesses, including co-operatives and other mutuals, in helping them to maximise their potential. The Government therefore supports measures that help co-operatives and other mutuals attract more long-term investment, helping them boost their capital base. It welcomes the role played by some private sector companies in providing this. More broadly, the Government remains committed to supporting small businesses’ access to the finance they need to grow and expand. We have established the British Business Bank to make finance markets work better for small businesses, and introduced the Bank Referral Scheme and the SME credit data sharing scheme.

Employee Ownership

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what further incentives he will offer to encourage employee ownership of companies; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: The government offers four tax advantaged employee share schemes: Enterprise Management Incentives, Company Share Option Plan, Save As You Earn and Share Incentive Plan. These enable employers and their employees to mutually benefit from generous Income Tax, National Insurance, and Capital Gains Tax reliefs when they participate. The government announced at Budget 2017 that employees on the Save As You Earn scheme who take maternity or parental leave will be able to pause their contributions for up to 12 months, from 6 months previously. There are no other changes currently planned, but the government keeps all areas of the tax system under review.

Treasury: Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will offer payroll deduction services for credit union membership to all employees of (a) HMRC and (b) hs Department; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: There are no current plans to introduce credit unions in either HMRC or HM Treasury. Both departments are currently reviewing their Wellbeing and Financial strategies, which will include exploring the feasibility and appropriateness of offering credit unions to their staff.

Bank of England: Presidents Club

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will request from the Bank Of England an explanation of how tea with its Governor was permitted and advertised at the Presidents Club as an auction item; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will request from the Bank of England a list of the charitable or other organisations to which meetings or meals with its Governor, other of its officials or access to its premises have been gifted or auctioned since 2015.

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will request and publish information from the Bank of England on whether its staff attended the Presidents Club dinner of 18 January 2018.

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will require from the Bank of England a list of all the meetings, meals with its Governor or its officials or other access to its premises which have been auctioned to charitable or other organisations since 2015.

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will request and publish information from the Bank of England on whether that bank has offered meetings or meals to auction at the Presidents Club in years prior to 2018.

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will request from the Bank of England and publish its policy on charitable donations.

John Glen: The Bank of England issued a statement on 24 January which confirmed that the Bank was not aware of the Presidents Club Dinner and did not approve any prize for auction at the event. The Bank has had no contact at any point with the Presidents Club or any of the organisers of the event. No member of Bank staff attended the dinner on 18 January. The Bank did not approve or donate any prize for auction at the event on 18 January. Support for third party fundraisers is prohibited under the Bank’s policy for charitable donations. The Bank have made its policy available at the following link: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/about/human-resources/charitable-giving-and-inclusion.pdf. The unauthorised re-auctioning of the prize at the Presidents Club dinner was against the spirit of the original donation. The Bank has therefore made clear that it has been withdrawn.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of whether people on low incomes will receive less financial support with tax-free childcare than they would with childcare vouchers.

Elizabeth Truss: We believe it is right to support those on middle incomes, as well as those on lower incomes, with the cost of childcare. Whilst those on lower incomes will be able to access more generous support through tax credits or universal credit, both Employer-supported Childcare and Tax-free Childcare benefit those on middle and higher incomes, who are not in receipt of universal credit but may still find it difficult to manage the cost of childcare.

Child Tax Credit: Disability

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to increase the age of eligibility for the childcare cost element of child tax credit from 16 to 20 years old for families with disabled children until adult social care provision becomes available; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and is spending over £50bn a year on benefits to support people with disabilities and health conditions, this includes spending to support 16-20 year olds with disabilities. Spending on disability benefits will be higher in every year to 2020 than it was in 2010, and as a share of GDP our spending on disability and incapacity benefits is the second highest in the G7. Childcare support in working tax credits is currently available to disabled children in receipt of DLA or PIP up to the September following their 16th birthday.

Financial Ombudsman Service

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2018 to Question 123416, when he plans to respond to the Financial Conduct Authority's consultation on widening the remit of the Financial Ombudsman Service.

John Glen: It is important that small businesses have access to the appropriate forum to address their concerns with the financial services that they have received. The Government therefore welcomes the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) consultation on the remit of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FCA are operationally independent of the Government. The remit of the FOS is therefore a matter for the FCA.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Former Members

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many former Conservative Members of Parliament who were defeated at the 2017 general election and who now work in his Department were appointed after a publicly advertised and open recruitment process.

Greg Hands: No former Conservative Members of Parliament who were defeated at the General Election in 2017 are currently employed by the Department for International Trade.

Department for International Trade: Beverage Containers

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many disposable coffee cups have been purchased by his Department since it's establishment.

Greg Hands: The information requested is not held centrally. Disposable coffee cups used within the department are purchased by an external catering supplier, who is unable to provide this information. Staff and visitors are encouraged to dispose of waste appropriately and use recycling facilities where it is appropriate to do so.

Trade Agreements

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2018 to Question 122985, what representations he has received on whether provisions on trade in services in any existing EU free trade agreements that are transitioned after the UK leaves the EU will be governed by EU regulations.

Greg Hands: Since the Trade White Paper was published, the Government has engaged extensively with stakeholders on a whole range of issues and will continue this programme of engagement until continuity in trade agreements is secured. Respondents have welcomed the government’s commitment to providing stability and certainty for businesses and consumers, by seeking to continue existing EU-Third country trade agreements. The Government is working to this end.

Turkey: Military Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether exports of Turkey's TF-X fighter will be subject to UK Government approval on a case-by-case basis; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: It is planned that the TF-X aircraft will be built in Turkey, therefore approval of any future exports from Turkey will be a matter for the Turkish government.Any components being supplied from the UK for the TF-X aircraft will however be subject to UK Government approval, as these components will require a UK Export Licence.

Trade Promotion: Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of exhibitors at the Consumer Electronics Show 2017 that came from (a) the UK, (b) France, (c) the Netherlands, and (d) Israel; and what support his Department provided to exhibitors from the UK.

Graham Stuart: The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is an externally organised event. The Department for International Trade has not made an estimate of companies that attended from France, Israel, and the Netherlands and does not hold data for the Number of UK exhibitors.DIT has boosted its support for UK companies exhibiting at CES in 2018, including by supporting more than 50 companies to attend.

Sri Lanka: Arms Trade

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that arms sold to the Government of Sri Lanka are not used to violate the human rights of the Sri Lankan people.

Graham Stuart: All export licence applications are considered on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, known as the Consolidated Criteria, based on the most up-to-date information and analysis available, including reports from NGOs and our overseas network.The Consolidated Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to assess the impact of providing equipment and its capabilities.Licensing decisions for Sri Lanka take into account international humanitarian and human rights law as well as the type of goods. We do not issue any export licences where we assess there is a clear risk that the goods may be used for internal repression or external aggression.

Chemring Group

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will list the number of applications for export credit support and financing that UK Export Finance has received from Chemring and its subsidiaries in each of the past 10 years; and if he will list the value of the exports covered and the countries for which export support was provided.

Graham Stuart: Where such information is not commercially sensitive, UK Export Finance (UKEF) publishes details of the companies it has supported on an annual basis in its Annual Report and Accounts which are presented to Parliament and can be found on UKEF’s website. These details include the value of UKEF’s support and the destination country of the export. The applications that UKEF has received from Chemring were in connection to a single export contract for bomb disposal equipment with the Indonesian National Police that UKEF supported.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-export-finance-annual-reports-and-accounts

Chemring Group

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, on how many occasions the Defence and Security Organisation has provided direct assistance to Chemring or its subsidiaries in the last 10 years.

Graham Stuart: According to our records the Department for International Trade’s Defence and Security Organisation (DIT DSO) has interacted with Chemring or its subsidiaries on 194 occasions since 2007.An interaction can range from meeting company representatives on a stand at an exhibition, to providing introductions, to meetings with officials, or company visits.

Department for International Trade: Presidents Club

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether any Ministers in his Department attended the Presidents Club Charity Dinner run by the Meller Educatonal Trust in an official capacity.

Greg Hands: No Department for International Trade Ministers have attended the Presidents Club Charity Dinner.

Department of Trade and Industry: Meetings

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, who has to date confirmed their attendance at the next meeting of the Board of Trade in the first quarter of 2018.

Greg Hands: The new Board of Trade is led by the President of the Board of Trade. The Secretaries of State for the Territorial Offices and other Department for International Trade Ministers have a standing invitation to attend the meetings. The work of the Board of Trade is supported by a group of advisers, who are also invited to the meetings. A full list of the advisers to the Board of Trade can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/international-trade-secretary-dr-liam-fox-convenes-a-new-board-of-trade-to-ensure-the-benefits-of-free-trade-are-spread-throughout-the-uk

Arms Trade: Licensing

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what vetting procedures the Export Control Joint Unit carries out on entities that apply to the Government for licenses to broker or deal arms.

Graham Stuart: All export licence applications are considered on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, known as the Consolidated Criteria, based on the most up-to-date information and analysis available, including reports from NGOs and our overseas network. The Export Control Joint Unit takes account of all relevant risks related to the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria when assessing licence applications. The criteria focus on the end use of the proposed transfers and therefore routine vetting procedures relate to end users rather than applicants.

Department for International Trade: Directors

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, who the lead non-executive director and other non-executive director board members are in his Department.

Greg Hands: The names of the Department for International Trade’s four Non-Executive Board Members, including Lead Non-Executive Director, are publically available on the gov.uk website. This information can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-trade

Commonwealth: Overseas Trade

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Commonwealth countries on future trade and investment between the UK and Commonwealth countries.

Graham Stuart: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade regularly engages with his counterparts from Commonwealth countries, including at recent bilateral meetings at the 11th WTO MC11 Ministerial Conference meeting on 11 – 14 December 2017 and at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting on 23 – 26 January.Given the importance we place on increasing intra-Commonwealth Trade and Investment and the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London, the Secretary of State and the Ministerial team will continue to have these discussions.

Women and Equalities

Females: Voting Rights

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what plans her Department has to celebrate the centenary of women getting the right to vote in 1918.

Victoria Atkins: The government has set aside £5m to celebrate this milestone in British democracy.In the Autumn budget, the Chancellor announced that £1.2million of the centenary fund would go directly to seven Centenary Cities and towns in England with a strong suffrage history, to strengthen the reach and legacy of regional activity to inspire a new generation with this story.A further £1.5million will be available to organisations and communities through a grants scheme. Online applications opened in January, and further information can be found at: www.womensvotecentenaryfund.co.ukThe Government Equalities Office has developed an exciting national programme to celebrate and remember the suffrage movement, which also includes funding the statue of Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square, and a suite of education programmes in partnership with the Department for Education and the Cabinet Office.

Department for Transport

Carillion

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial assessment he made of Carillion before agreeing a contract for HS2 development with an SPV of which Carillion was a composite part.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HS2 Ltd undertook due diligence on all bids prior to the Main Works Civils Contract Award in July. Each of the joint venture parties individually and collectively were covered. The CEK joint venture has provided HS2 Ltd with assurances that in the event of any member of the group being unable to deliver on its responsibilities, the remaining members, now Eiffage and Kier, would fill the gap.

Carillion

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he received reports of market short-selling in relation to Carillion when he offered a contract for HS2 development to an SPV of which Carillion was a composite part.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Secretary of State did not award the contract himself, he delegated authority to do so to HS2 Ltd. The Secretary of State did not receive reports on the shorting of Carillion shares prior to the award, by HS2 Ltd, of the two Main Works Civils Contracts to the unincorporated Joint Venture.

Taxis: Disability

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to secure participation by disabled people on the taxi and private hire vehicle working group.

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to ensure that the needs of people with various disabilities are represented on the taxi and private hire vehicle working group.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Task and Finish group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles was established by the then Minister of State for Transport, John Hayes, and has received submissions from a number of disability representation organisations. I look forward to receiving the group’s findings soon.

Aviation: HIV Infection

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will respond to Early Day Motion 827 on HIV and UK aviation.

Jesse Norman: The Department welcomes the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) call for a change in the current regulations and their decision to issue initial Class 1 Medical certificates with a restriction to multi-pilot operations to applicants wishing to become commercial pilots, subject to the applicants passing their Class 1 Medical assessment. The CAA has often led aviation regulatory changes that have enabled pilots with medical conditions to keep flying, and I welcome their continued efforts to see a permanent change to the current regulations at the European level.

Department for Transport: Beverage Containers

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many disposable coffee cups were purchased by his Department in each of the last five years.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The department (including Executive Agencies) has not purchased any disposable coffee cups in the last five years, except the DVSA made one purchase of 3,000 cups in 2016 for conferences. None have been purchased since. In the central Department staff bring their own cups in for any teas or coffees they wish to make for themselves.

Belfast Harbour

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has conducted a recent review of the capacity of Belfast Port.

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the capacity of Larne Port.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Under devolution arrangements, policy relating to ports and harbours in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. Officials at the Department for Transport have, however, been in contact with ports in Northern Ireland as well as ports elsewhere in the UK to discuss issues relating to EU exit.

Electric Vehicles

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to subsidise domestic and business-based charging points for high capacity battery electric cars; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Government already has in place a range of grant funding schemes to assist with the cost of installing dedicated domestic chargepoints in the homes of electric vehicle drivers as well as in workplaces, for the use of employees and fleets. Grant support also exists for Local Authorities to support the installation of chargepoints in residential areas without access to off-street parking. These grants are available to support chargepoints for all types of battery electric vehicles.

Pedestrian Areas: Accidents

Mrs Kemi Badenoch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Highways Act 1980, how many people have been injured as a result of pavements not being maintained at public expense in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport (DfT) does not hold data centrally on the number of people injured as a result of pavements (pedestrian walkways) not being maintained at public expense.

Road Traffic Offences: Fines

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of powers available to local authorities to levy fines for moving traffic offences.

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) police constabularies and (b) local authorities on  devolving the power to levy fines for moving traffic offences; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from local authorities on commencing Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004.

Jesse Norman: Although there has been no formal assessment of this in recent months, the Department has recently received representations on this issue from the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Local Government Association, both of which called for the commencement of Part 6 on the basis that these powers may help local authorities to manage traffic contraventions and reduce congestion. A number of local and combined authorities made requests for moving traffic powers during devolution negotiations, but these powers were not featured in any final agreements. Ministers have recently discussed moving traffic powers at meetings with Transport for the North, the West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, and the Local Government Association. A wide range of local authorities have also raised these powers at regular engagement meetings. In addition, the Department receives occasional correspondence from councillors and local MPs enquiring about Government policy and the law regarding moving traffic offences. There have been no formal Ministerial discussions with individual police constabularies about these powers in recent months. The Government believes that the police already have the necessary powers to take action where it is needed and has no plans to commence provisions in Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 to enable all local authorities to take on civil enforcement powers for moving traffic offences.

Roads: Litter

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the amount of litter Highways England has collected in each year since 2010.

Jesse Norman: Highways England is responsible for complying with the mandatory legal requirements under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which includes removing litter on England’s motorways and some trunk roads. The Department for Transport does not hold information on how much litter is collected. Highways England’s service providers are not required, contractually, to report on the amount of litter cleared from their network.However, as part of the Government’s Litter Strategy, Highways England has been monitoring 25 national litter hot spots. Over the last 12 months more than 10,000 bags of litter have been picked from these sites. Highways England continues to review its specifications and contractual arrangements with its suppliers to ensure best value is achieved.

Driving Tests: Pontypridd

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on driving instructors of the relocation of Pontypridd driving test centre to Llantrisant.

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on learner drivers of the relocation of Pontypridd driving test centre to Llantrisant.

Jesse Norman: 60 percent of candidates will be closer to, or at least no further away from their nearest centre, compared to Pontypridd. The impact on driving instructors will be minimal as the training area, and consequently the mileage will not increase for the majority of driving lessons being delivered.

Bus Services

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of the use of a cooperative model of ownership for bus services.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The bus market in England (outside London) is deregulated and operated by private sector bus operators. The deregulated bus market works well across much of the country and any operational decisions are a matter for individual operators, as is the ownership model they wish to consider. However, the Bus Services Act 2017 presents local authorities with new powers to bring about change, and unlock the potential for the bus industry to achieve more for passengers. In particular, new enhanced partnership and advanced quality partnership powers provide the framework for authorities to work side by side with operators to set a shared vision for bus services in their area.

Roads: Safety

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of EU Directives 2014/45/EU and 2014/47/EU in improving road safety.

Jesse Norman: Europe-wide assessments of proposals for the two EU Directives were made during their development. Limited changes to legislation for Great Britain to implement them will be in force by 20th May 2018. Impact assessments (including related to safety) of changes related to vehicles of historic interest and the testing of certain types of heavy goods vehicles have been published by the Department for Transport. Other changes had limited effects. Reviews of the effects of the four statutory instruments, which implement the changes in Great Britain, are required by May 2023.

Bridges: English Channel

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of constructing a bridge between England and France.

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on constructing a bridge between England and France.

Jesse Norman: The Government is currently developing and delivering an ambitious programme of investment in England’s strategic roads and improving local, regional and international connectivity is a key aim. The programme is being informed by a wide range of evidence including the work of six strategic studies, which are focused on making major improvements to the capacity and connectivity of the road network. Consideration of a bridge between England and France is not one of the studies and no estimate has been made of the cost of constructing such a bridge. The Secretary of State has had no formal discussions with the Foreign Secretary on this.

Carillion

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how often Carillion was stress-tested by his Department; when the last such stress test was carried out; and what the results of that stress test were.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department interacts with Carillion plc primarily through its Arm’s Length Bodies rather than centrally. Assessments of a company’s ability to deliver its obligations is performed during each procurement exercise.

Carillion

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what rail improvement contracts Carillion holds in (a) the North West and (b) Manchester.

Joseph Johnson: Carillion hold a number of contracts with the Department’s Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs), including Network Rail. This includes rail electrification programme contracts. However, the electrification works between Manchester and Stalybridge, and between Manchester and Preston, are being delivered by a range of contractors, not just Carillion, and Amey are the principal contractor for those works. Network Rail also confirmed on Friday 19 January that Carillion staff working on their projects are guaranteed to get paid until at least mid-April 2018. This ensures that work will continue as planned on Network Rail projects through to mid-April 2018, by which point Network Rail expects to have alternative arrangements in place as necessary.

Blue Badge Scheme: Hartlepool

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of people in Hartlepool who use a blue badge.

Jesse Norman: As at 31 March 2016, 5,060 valid blue badges were held by organisations or individuals in Hartlepool.

Driverless Vehicles: 4G

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the readiness of the UK's 4G infrastructure to enable autonomous vehicles to operate on UK roads.

Jesse Norman: Ofcom conducts annual analysis of mobile coverage across the UK, including road networks. However, more detailed assessment is necessary to understand the digital connectivity requirements of connected and automated vehicles, including the role 4G networks can play. At this early stage, there remains debate in industry about what level of digital connectivity will be necessary to enable self-driving vehicles and what the optimal telecommunications technologies will be. Digital connectivity is a key issue, and earlier this month, the Department commissioned research to analyse how ‘digital demand’ will evolve over time and across different road environments. The findings are due in the summer. The Department is also supporting the Government’s digital implementation task force in their work to consider how best to deliver the Conservative manifesto commitment (2017) to improve mobile coverage across major roads, and continue to fund a range of world leading trials and test beds across the UK.

Roads: North of England

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the surface of the improved road connection between Sheffield and Manchester as proposed by Transport for the North will be constructed using all weather materials.

Jesse Norman: The Trans-Pennine Tunnel Study will, as part of its brief, consider the potential standard of the road link (motorway, expressway, all-purpose road). The Study is at an early stage, and matters of detailed design have not been fully developed. However, any design will be expected to take account of the climatic conditions prevailing in the Peak District.

East Coast Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the contribution was of (a) infrastructure improvements not being scheduled to be completed according to the franchise agreement and (b) revenue having fallen below what had been agreed under franchise agreement to the East Coast rail franchise being ended.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Expenditure

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent from the public purse on the High Speed 2 project to date.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Expenditure on delivery of HS2 from 2009/10 until 2016/17 was £2.3bn. This consists of expenditure by both HS2 Ltd on delivering the programme and by the Department for Transport on land and property.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has spend on roads and highways in each year since 2010.

Jesse Norman: Figures on public sector expenditure are published as a part of the Government’s Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) statistics. The CRA measures the levels of both ‘capital’ and ‘current’ (i.e. resource) expenditure. Statistics for Department for Transport expenditure on national and local roads are given in the table below. These figures include expenditure incurred by Highways England and DfT executive agencies (including the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the Vehicle Certification Agency). The figures do not include expenditure from DfT to other public sector organisations, such as grant payments made to Local Authorities or Devolved Administrations. Total DfT expenditure on national and local roads Year£million (nominal)2010-112,7522011-122,4332012-132,0282013-142,3392014-152,8452015-162,9842016-173,061

Electric Vehicles

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many charging points there are for electric vehicles for staff at the offices of the Department for Transport and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles at Great Minster House.

Jesse Norman: There is no staff or visitor parking at the Department for Transport and Office for Low Emission Vehicles, although there is limited parking available for mobility impaired drivers. Staff are encouraged to use public transport, walk and cycle to work rather than drive in order to ease congestion. However, one dedicated electric vehicle chargepoint has been installed for electric vehicles in the Government fleet. There is also a double-headed public chargepoint immediately outside Great Minster House, as well as several other chargepoints in the surrounding area.

Carillion

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the liquidation of Carillion on apprenticeships in the rail supply chain; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department’s Arm’s Length Bodies are the primary source of engagement with Carillion PLC. Specifically within the rail sector, on HS2, one of Carillion’s other Joint Venture partners, Kier, has confirmed that they will take on Carillion’s apprentices. Also, the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) are working to redeploy apprentices and trainers through the NSAR Connect Service.

Carillion

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the liquidation of Carillion on the timetable for rail electrification works; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: Carillion hold a number of contracts with the Department’s Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs), including Network Rail. This includes rail electrification programme contracts. The electrification works between Manchester and Stalybridge, and between Manchester and Preston, are being delivered by a range of contractors, not just Carillion, and Amey are the principal contractor for those works. Network Rail also confirmed on Friday 19 January that Carillion staff working on their projects are guaranteed to get paid until at least mid-April 2018. This ensures that work will continue as planned on Network Rail projects through to mid-April 2018, by which point Network Rail expects to have alternative arrangements in place if necessary. Network Rail is working hard to ensure that any impact on transport projects is kept to a minimum and there have been no reported impacts.

Carillion

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the liquidation of Carillion on the (a)  timetables, (b) budgets and (c) other parts of the Road Investment Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The current assessment of the effect of the liquidation of Carillion is that there is no material change to (a) timetables, (b) budgets or (c) other parts of the Road Investment Strategy due to the use of robust contractual models, the use of Project Bank Accounts and an effective contingency plan put in to operation by Highways England and its supply chain.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Afgan Mukhtarli

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information the Government holds on the (a) arrest (b) trial and (c) imprisonment in Azerbaijan of the investigative journalist Afgan Mukhtarli.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has taken any steps to seek the humane treatment of Afgan Mukhtarli in prison in Azerbaijan; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he is aware of the response from the Azerbaijani authorities to Afgan Mukhtarli's request to be permitted to attend the funeral of his sister Nurana Mukhtarly and two of her children who died on 31 December 2017.

Sir Alan Duncan: We have serious concerns about Afghan Mukhtarli's alleged abduction in Georgia. Our Embassy in Tbilisi has raised the circumstances of Mr Mukhtarli's abduction with the Georgian authorities, and we have urged the Georgian Government to conduct an open and transparent investigation into this incident as soon as possible.We also consider Afghan Mukhtarli's trial and sentencing at the Balakan District Court in Azerbaijan to be politically motivated and part of a pattern of convictions of journalists, political and human rights activists in Azerbaijan. We continue to call on the Government of Azerbaijan to review the case urgently. Our Embassy in Baku will continue to raise Afghan Mukhtarli's case with the Azerbaijani authorities, including any allegations of mistreatment in prison. We are aware of Mr Mukhtarli's request to attend the funerals of family members who died recently in tragic circumstances.

Colombia: Peace Negotiations

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the murder of 34 demobilised FARC members and 13 relatives of former combatants on the peace process in Colombia; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of the recent murders of former FARC combatants, Vilmar Asprilla and Ansel de Jesus Montoya Ibarra, and the UN condemnation of those murders on the peace process in Colombia; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK condemns attacks against former members of the FARC and their families. This includes the killing of Vilmar Asprilla and Ansel de Jesús Montoya Ibarra who were election campaigning in Antioquia on 16 January.We are concerned about increasing number of attacks against human rights defenders and local community leaders in Colombia. The UN Office for Human Rights has reported that at least 78 human rights defenders were killed in 2017. Tragic incidents such as these undermine the peace process. Through our advocacy and project work we support efforts by the Government of Colombia to strengthen the protection of vulnerable groups and individuals.

Foreign And Commonwealth Office: Beverage Containers

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many disposable coffee cups were purchased by his Department in each of the last five years.

Sir Alan Duncan: The below table highlights the available information held on the number of disposable cups purchased in the UK by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in each of the last five years. The figures are based on cups purchased centrally by our catering supplier. They do not include individual ad hoc purchases of cups by teams within the office or purchases by our overseas missions.  Hot beverage cups2013Data not available2014Data not available2015Data not available2016654,1562017655,718 Since May 2017, the FCO have provided disposable cup recycling bins and offered discounts on hot drinks purchased in reusable cups in its food and drink outlets to minimise disposable cup waste and support the recycling of disposable cups.

Egypt: Christianity

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the treatment of Christians in Egypt.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned about terrorist attacks in Egypt that have targeted the Coptic community and at reports of sectarian violence. Combating sectarian violence is a shared strategic objective for the Egyptian and British Governments and we welcome President Sisi's calls for peaceful coexistence between communities. The Government of Egypt has stated its commitment to protecting the rights of minorities and of the need for religious tolerance, and the Egyptian constitution contains protection for Freedom of Religious Belief. It is important that these rights are respected.

Uganda: Capital Punishment

Paul Masterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Government of Uganda on that government’s possible reintroduction of the death penalty; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The death penalty was never abolished in Uganda and it remains on the statute books for 28 crimes. However, no civilian executions have been carried out since 1999 and none under court martial since 2002. The British Government continues to urge the Government of Uganda not to implement death sentences and to move towards a formal moratorium. We have taken note of President Museveni's comments and will monitor developments in country.

Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, of how many experts the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative multidisciplinary team is comprised.

Mark Field: The Team of Experts currently consists of 38 independent experts (26 women), including criminal lawyers, policing advisers, gender based violence experts, international investigating officers, training experts and psychosocial experts. ​

Sidgi Kaballo

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Sudan on the detention of British citizen Dr Sidqi Kaballo.

Harriett Baldwin: We remain concerned about Dr Kaballo's continued detention, as well as that of other political detainees, and we will continue to press the Government of Sudan to release those arbitrarily detained immediately. Our Ambassador, and the Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan, have raised Dr Kaballo's case with senior members of the Government of Sudan, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and have urged them to ensure that he receives the necessary medical assistance, and that he is allowed family visits. We will continue to closely monitor Dr Kaballo's situation and raise our concerns with the Government of Sudan.

Liberia: Foreign Relations

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to meet President Weah of Liberia; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The Prime Minister wrote to President Weah to congratulate him on his election victory, and I share those sentiments. Our Ambassador in Monrovia and a senior official from London attended President Weah's inauguration on 23rd January, and discussed early priorities with him.The UK's relationship with Liberia is an historic one. Britain was the first country to recognise Liberia's independence in 1848. The Foreign Secretary made the first ever visit to Liberia by a serving UK Foreign Minister in February 2017. My predecessor as Minister for Africa, Rory Stewart, met with a delegation of Liberian Ministers in September. The UK financial commitment to Liberia is approximately £70m annually and our Embassy in Monrovia will work closely with the new administration to help deliver our shared priorities.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Afrin district, northern Syria.

Alistair Burt: We are closely following developments in Afrin in north-western Syria. The Foreign Secretary and I have been in contact with Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu to discuss the Turkish operation in Afrin. We recognise Turkey's legitimate interest in the security of its borders. We have urged them to avoid any escalation in violence and to seek to protect civilians. It remains in our shared interest to focus on achieving a political settlement that ends the war and suffering, and provides stability for all Syrians and the wider region.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on Turkish military operations underway in Afrin district, northern Syria.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on the Turkish operation in the Afrin district of Syria.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are closely following developments in Afrin in north-western Syria, and the Foreign Secretary and other Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers are in regular contact with their Turkish counterparts. We recognise Turkey's legitimate interest in the security of its borders. We have urged them to avoid any escalation in violence and to seek to protect civilians. It remains in our shared interest to focus on achieving a political settlement that ends the war and suffering, and provides stability for all Syrians and the wider region.

Syria: Kurds

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights  situation of Kurdish communities in the Afrin district, northern Syria.

Alistair Burt: ​Afrin is largely under the de facto control of the Kurdish PYD party. We have some human rights concerns about the PYD's governance of areas it controls although these are not as severe as the human rights situation in areas held by the Syrian regime. We have particular concern about the PYD's intolerance of political opposition and reports of harassment and arbitrary detention of political opponents. NGOs and others have also raised concerns about human rights protection of those in custody under PYD authority. We are following the situation in Afrin closely since the announcement of the Turkish operation there. The UK is committed to working closely with Turkey and other Allies to find solutions in Syria that provide stability, refrain from escalating the situation and protect Turkey's security interests.

Sri Lanka: Tamils

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to uphold the human rights of the Tamil people and to support the establishment of democratically accountable institutions in Sri Lanka.

Mark Field: ​The UK is committed to the full implementation of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 34/1, under which Sri Lanka committed to implement a range of measures to provide for human rights, truth-seeking, reconciliation, and devolution of political powers following the end of its civil war. I encouraged Foreign Minister Marapana to continue to make progress on these commitments when I met him last October in Colombo. Our High Commissioner in Sri Lanka regularly travel to the North and East and I joined him in Jaffna during my most recent visit to meet with Tamil groups, and where we have specific human rights concerns we raise these with the Sri Lankan government.The UK is also providing Sri Lanka with £6.6 million of Conflict, Stability and Security Fund funding over three years, to include support for police reform and training, reconciliation and peace building, and demining in the north of the country.

Sri Lanka: UN Resolutions

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the Sri Lankan Government observes United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1.

Mark Field: During my visit to Colombo and Jaffna in October 2017, I raised with Foreign Minister Marapana the importance of the Sri Lankan government implementing in full its commitments under UN Human Rights Council Resolution 34/1, which rolled over the commitments made under 30/1. I encouraged accelerated progress towards fulfilling these commitments, including the return of all military-held private land, the operationalisation of the Office of Missing Persons, and the development of new counter-terrorism legislation in line with international human rights standards.

Sri Lanka: Tamils

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the Sri Lankan Government abides by the Oslo Declaration of 2002.

Mark Field: ​The Oslo Declaration followed the conclusion of the third session of peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE leadership in 2002. Regrettably the ceasefire failed and several more years of civil war followed the declaration, finally ending in 2009.The UK supports the full implementation of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 34/1 as the best way to secure lasting peace and reconciliation, including devolution of political authority and respect for the human rights of all Sri Lankans.

Burma: Arms Trade

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had any discussions with his Canadian counterpart on securing the support of the Government of Canada for (a) a UN mandated global arms embargo on Burma and (b) a referral of the situation in Burma to the International Criminal Court.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in Burma with Canadian Foreign Minister, Chrystia Freeland, in September. The Government recognises the importance of maintaining pressure on the Burmese military and security forces and has played a key role supporting measures such as the EU arms embargo and suspension of all military visits. We judge that there would not be consensus within the UNSC for a global arms embargo or ICC referral at this time.

Burma: Rohingya

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what meetings he has had with members of the UK Rohingya community to discuss the Government's response to the crisis in Burma and Bangladesh.

Mark Field: ​Officials from the FCO and DFID met with Rohingya community leaders in Bradford on 16 November. They explained the Government's response to the crisis in Burma and Bangladesh and listened to the views and suggestions of the representatives of the community. We intend to maintain this contact.

Members: Correspondence

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to respond to the letter of 8 December 2017 from the hon. Member for Birmingham Northfield on President Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Alistair Burt: A response has been sent.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Turkey, (b) the US, (c) Russia, (d) the EU, (e) the UN, (f) NATO and (g) the Arab League on (i) the Turkish assault on the city of Afrin and (ii) how a humanitarian crisis can be averted.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are closely following developments in Afrin in north-western Syria, and the Foreign Secretary and other Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers are in regular contact with their Turkish counterparts. The Foreign Secretary has spoken with Secretary of State Tillerson about the Turkish operation, and I discussed the situation at the EU Foreign Affairs Council. The Foreign Secretary also attended a Syria Small Group meeting on the 23 January which considered the situation. The UK as a member of the UN Security Council, and the NATO North Atlantic Council, has also discussed the operation in these fora. We have urged Turkey to avoid any escalation in violence and to seek to protect civilians, while recognising its legitimate interest in the security of its borders. We have also stressed the importance of ensuring that humanitarian assistance can reach the area. It remains in our shared interest to focus on achieving a political settlement that ends the war and suffering, and provides stability for all Syrians and the wider region.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterparts since President Erdogan’s statement of 20 January 2018 on an assault on the Syrian city of Manbij; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are closely following developments in Afrin in north-western Syria, and the Foreign Secretary and other Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers are in regular contact with their Turkish counterparts. We have sought regular updates on the progress of the operation. We have urged Turkey to avoid any escalation in violence and to seek to protect civilians, while recognising its legitimate interest in the security of its borders. It remains in our shared interest to focus on achieving a political settlement that ends the war and suffering, and provides stability for all Syrians and the wider region.

Hamed bin Haydara

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received on the decision of the Specialised Criminal Court in Sana'a to sentence Mr Hamed bin Haydara to death by public execution because of his religious beliefs; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: As the Minister for Europe and the Americas said in his response to the urgent question on this issue on 11 January, we strongly condemn Mr bin Haydara's death sentence, and the continued persecution of Baha'is in Yemen for their religious beliefs. We were informed of Mr bin Haydara's sentence on 2 January, via the Baha'i community in London, and I met with the leader of the Baha'i community on 25 January. We continue to work closely with our partners, including the European Union, to raise this issue directly with the de facto authorities in Sana'a, and have sought to raise the profile of Mr bin Haydara's situation through public diplomacy.

Hamed bin Haydara

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for the Baha'i community and freedom of religion or belief in northern Yemen of the death sentence pronounced against the Yemeni Baha'i Mr bin Haydara.

Alistair Burt: We are very concerned about the persecution of Baha'is in Yemen, particularly in areas controlled by the Houthis and forces aligned to the late former President Saleh. The immediate release of all Baha'is in Yemen imprisoned for their religious beliefs was a key demand in the September United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution, which we supported. We will work closely with all partners to ensure its full implementation. We are in close contact with the Baha'i community in London regarding Mr Haydara's case and the wider situation of Bahai's in Yemen. I met with with representatives of the Baha'i community on 18 January to discuss this and other cases.

Yemen: Baha'i Faith

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received on Iranian influence on the actions of the Houthi community against the Baha'i community in Sana'a, Yemen; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of reports from the Baha'i community about Iranian influence on Houthi actions in Yemen. We call upon Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to allow freedom of religion.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Environment

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of her Department's aid budget is being spent on environmental projects; and whether the objectives of the 25 Year Environment Plan will be taken into account in future aid spending.

Harriett Baldwin: The Department for International Development (DFID) is working closely with other Government Departments as part of a comprehensive Government effort to protect the environment. The Government has committed £5.8bn (2016-2021) to tackle climate change, the biggest environmental challenge of our time. DFID will deliver £3.6bn of this commitment. In 2016/2017, this was £755m, 7% of DFID’s total spend. DFID and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs fund, alongside other countries, the $4.43 billion Global Environment Facility sixth replenishment (2014 – 2018) which works to address climate change as well as broader environmental challenges such as biodiversity loss, land degradation, international waters and chemicals and waste. All relevant Government commitments, including the 25 Year Environment Plan, are taken into account when considering future aid spending. In addition, all DFID programmes must avoid doing harm to the environment, and environmental safeguards are one of the risk categories considered as part of departmental programme management requirements.

UNRWA

Paul Masterton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the value of the Government's funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency has been in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The amount of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in each calendar year since 2013 is given in the table below. This data is published each year in the Statistics for International Development (SID) publication. Figures for 2017 will be released next year.The UK remains firmly committed to supporting UNRWA and Palestinian refugees across the Middle East and we have so far provided around £50 million in the 2017/18 financial year.(£ millions)2013201420152016Bilateral ODA through Multilateral18.429.130.021.0Core Multilateral ODA22.936.634.033.4Total UK ODA to UNRWA41.4 65.7 64.0 54.4 Source: Statistics for International Development 2013-2016ODA figures are produced only on a calendar year basis in line with the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation, Development Assistance Committee definitions.Bilateral ODA through multilateral is funding to multilateral organisations for specific programmes or for specific countries. Core multilateral ODA describes un-earmarked funds from national governments which are pooled with other donors’ funding and disbursed as part of the core budget of the multilateral organisation.

Syria: Refugees

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development , what steps the Government is taking to assist (a) Jordan, (b) Lebanon and (c) Turkey with Syrian refugees.

Alistair Burt: Since the start of the Syria crisis, DFID has committed £2.46 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We have committed £429m to support activities in Jordan, through humanitarian, education and economic development programming. This funding has enabled over 126,000 Syrian refugees to access state education; allowed refugees to work legally, with over 70,000 work permits issued; and improved cross-community relations and much need infrastructure for Syrians and Jordanians living side by side in host communities. DFID has also allocated £543 million in humanitarian and development funding to Lebanon, providing nearly half a million cash grants and vouchers to help vulnerable people meet their basic needs, expanding the Lebanese education system to reach over 300,000 Syrian children, and improving infrastructure and services in 51 of the most conflict-prone municipalities. In 2016, DFID committed €328 million to the €3 billion EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT). The UK is also contributing to the FRIT via our EU budget payments. The FRIT is supporting refugees and host communities by building schools, and providing health services and social welfare payments for the most vulnerable.

Non-governmental Organisations

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that the work of UK-based humanitarian NGOs is not adversely affected by the UK leaving the EU.

Harriett Baldwin: The EU guidelines (December 2017) acknowledge the proposal put forward by the UK for a time-limited implementation period, based on the existing structure of EU rules and regulations. Both parties have recognised the importance of such a period in the interests of providing certainty and continuity to businesses and individuals. The UK wants to agree the detail early in 2018 to provide certainty as quickly as possible. In the meantime, the Government will continue to work closely with the EU to ensure the UK’s rights as an EU Member State are respected.Leaving the EU also offers opportunities for DFID and UK NGOs, and we will support our NGOs to make the most of these opportunities in future.

Syria: Military Intervention

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with the Turkish Government on relief operations in the Afrin area of north west Syria in response to Operation Olive Branch.

Alistair Burt: We are following developments in Afrin closely. While we recognise Turkey’s legitimate interest in the security of its borders, we remain concerned about the impact on the humanitarian situation. Through the Foreign Secretary’s contact with Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu, we have urged the Turkish Government to ensure the protection of civilians and to avoid further deterioration of the humanitarian situation.

Department for Education

Pupil Referral Units

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Pupil Referral Units there are for early years pupils.

Nadhim Zahawi: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 19 January 2018.The correct answer should have been:

Alternative provision (AP) is education put in place for children of compulsory school age who would not otherwise receive suitable education because of illness, exclusion or any other reason. AP is arranged by local authorities (and in some circumstances schools) and can be delivered by a range of providers, for example, pupil referral units, AP free schools and AP academies. As at 24 January 2018, the Department’s Get Information about schools website shows there are 4210 pupil referral units, AP free schools and AP academies that cater to early years pupils aged four and under. Of these 42 institutions, 10 offer provision for early years pupils aged three and under. Get Information about schools is available at: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk.

Nadhim Zahawi: Alternative provision (AP) is education put in place for children of compulsory school age who would not otherwise receive suitable education because of illness, exclusion or any other reason. AP is arranged by local authorities (and in some circumstances schools) and can be delivered by a range of providers, for example, pupil referral units, AP free schools and AP academies. As at 24 January 2018, the Department’s Get Information about schools website shows there are 4210 pupil referral units, AP free schools and AP academies that cater to early years pupils aged four and under. Of these 42 institutions, 10 offer provision for early years pupils aged three and under. Get Information about schools is available at: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk.

GCE A-level: Knowsley

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that young people in Knowsley have access to academic A-levels within their borough.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Domestic Visits: Knowsley

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to visit the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley.

Nadhim Zahawi: Since his appointment, the Secretary of State does not yet have a confirmed visits schedule in place. He is looking forward to visiting a range of educational institutions across the country.

First Aid: Curriculum

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had discussions with (a) NHS Commissioners, (b) the NHS Ambulance Service, (c) teachers' representatives and (d) parent bodies on the potential merits of teaching first aid as part of the curriculum in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Children: Day Care

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to make sufficient funding available to (a) Liverpool City Council and (b) Knowsley Metropolitan Council to ensure they are able to comply with the mandatory provision of 30 hours of free childcare for three and four-year-olds within those local authority areas.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will ensure that the level of Government funding provided to (a) Liverpool City Council and (b) Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council is sufficient to allow those local authorities to support the mandatory provision of 30 hours of free childcare for three and four-year-olds.

Nadhim Zahawi: By 2019-20, the government will be spending around £6 billion a year on childcare support, including £1 billion to deliver 30 hours of free childcare and pay the higher funding rates that we introduced in April 2017. Our funding rates are based on evidence from our “Review of Childcare Costs”, which was described as “thorough and wide ranging” by the National Audit Office. Local authorities’ individual funding rates are set by the new early years national funding formula which takes account of relative children’s needs and costs of delivery. Through ‘Childcare Works’, we are supporting all local authorities to deliver 30 hours of free childcare, and we are monitoring carefully its implementation.

Academies: Cambridge

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many unqualified teachers worked in academies in Cambridge constituency in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17; and how many unqualified teachers are working in academies in that constituency.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Academies: Cambridge

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many complaints have been received on a change of curriculum at academies that used to be maintained schools in Cambridge constituency since 2010.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department has not received any formal complaints on a change of curriculum at academies that used to be maintained schools in the Cambridge constituency.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress has been made on the roll-out of 30 hours of free childcare in Telford and Wrekin.

Anne Milton: The rollout of 30 hours free childcare has progressed well in Telford and Wrekin with 839 children reported to be taking up a 30 hours place, in November 2017. The local authority is receiving specialist support from our national delivery contractor to ensure progress continues as we move towards the summer term.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many eligibility codes for 30 hours of free childcare have been (a) generated and (b) validated in Telford and Wrekin.

Nadhim Zahawi: The number of eligibility codes for 30 hours free childcare that have generated and validated in Telford and Wrekin, as of data published on 8 January, is in the table below: LA NameEligibility codes issued by 8th JanuaryEligibility codes validated by 8th JanuaryTelford and Wrekin1168825  Please note, codes issued relates to the local authority where the parent is resident. Codes validated relates to the local authority where the code was checked. These are not always the same as some parents may use the code in a bordering local authority.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to reduce the upper earnings limit for free childcare eligibility.

Nadhim Zahawi: The entitlement to 30 hours free childcare is intended to support working parents with the cost of childcare and enable them, where they wish, to return to work or to work additional hours. We are in the first full year of rolling out this transformative policy. Our immediate focus is on successful delivery for the spring and summer terms, and on evaluating 30 hours free childcare during its first year. We will not be making any significant changes to the policy until we can properly review whether 30 hours free childcare is being delivered effectively and supporting working families as intended.

Department for Education: Former Members

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many former Conservative Members of Parliament who were defeated at the 2017 general election and who now work in his Department were appointed after a publicly advertised and open recruitment process.

Nadhim Zahawi: No former Conservative Members of Parliament who were defeated at the 2017 general election now work in the Department for Education.

Department for Education: Beverage Containers

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many disposable coffee cups were purchased by his Department in each of the last five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally. Disposable coffee cups are purchased by an external catering supplier, which was unable to provide this information.

Arts: Education

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to provide children with access to the arts after the EBacc becomes compulsory in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Carillion

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how often Carillion was stress-tested by his Department; when the last such stress test was carried out; and what the results of that stress test were.

Nick Gibb: The Department reviews the financial standing of suppliers before awarding contracts; as part of the qualification process for places on our supply frameworks; and as part of ongoing contract management arrangements, in line with Cabinet Office guidance. The Cabinet Office manages relationships with Strategic Suppliers, monitoring their performance and financial health on a cross-Government basis, through its Strategic Supplier Risk Management Policy.The Department has been working closely with the Cabinet Office to monitor the situation with Carillion since profit warnings were first issued last July. Our priority has been to ensure schools can continue to operate as usual.Local authorities and academy trusts are responsible for their own contracts. We have worked with local authorities and academy trusts to make sure they have contingency plans in place and that these are being actioned, where required. We are continuing to monitor developments and provide support where it is needed to help minimise any disruption.

Children: Day Care

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to roll out 30 hours of free childcare in (a) Manchester, Withington constituency and (b) Manchester.

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many eligibility codes for 30 hours free childcare have been (a) generated and (b) validated in (i) Manchester Withington constituency and (b) Manchester.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department is committed to ensuring all parents who are eligible for the 30 hours free childcare entitlement are able to take up a place that suits their childcare needs. We have already provided significant support to local authorities and providers through our delivery contractor, ‘Childcare Works’, providing tailored support to help progress implementation plans. In November 17, we also launched the ‘Delivery Support Fund’ to support local authorities, and enable them to support their providers, On 19 December 2017, we published ’30 hours free childcare: autumn term 2017’. This showed that, in the first term of delivery, an estimated 1,094 children were in a 30 hours place in Manchester – this was 82% of those issued with a 30 hours eligibility code. Furthermore, as of 8 January, 2,235 30 hours eligibility codes had been issued in Manchester for the spring term and 1,311 of these codes had been validated via the department’s eligibility checking system. This data was published in the management information release: ‘30 hours free childcare eligibility codes issued and validated: January 2018’: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated. We will continue to publish regular management information on the rollout of 30 hours free childcare at a national and local level.

Apprentices

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the likelihood of achieving three million apprenticeship starts by 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: We publish progress on the number of apprenticeships starts within the department’s further education and skills statistical first release, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/further-education-and-skills-statistical-first-release-sfr#2017-releases. The latest release was published on 25 January 2018.There have been over 1.2 million apprenticeship starts since May 2015 and we plan to achieve three million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020.

Skilled Workers: Local Government

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his policy is on the devolution of powers on skills to elected mayors and combined authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The department is still intending to devolve the adult education budget to Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority for 2019/20, subject to certain readiness conditions. We are working collaboratively with local areas to ensure people can gain the skills that meet both local and national needs including setting up Skills Advisory Panels. The changes we made to apprenticeships put employers at the heart of driving up the skills of their workforce.

Children's Centres: Inspections

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to resume Ofsted inspections of children’s centres.

Nadhim Zahawi: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 January 2017 to Question 124199 - http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=124199.

Schools: Finance

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his Answer of 7 December 2018 to Question 117413 on Schools: Finance, how many disapplication requests for the ring-fenced dedicated schools grant his Department received from local authorities for the financial year 2018-19.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Schools: Internet

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to promote digital safety in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools to tackle (i) cyber-bullying and (ii) online grooming.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Children's Centres

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2018 to Question 123506, on Children's Centres: Closures, how many new children's centres have opened since 2010.

Nadhim Zahawi: Based on information supplied by local authorities, fourteen children’s centres have opened since April 2010.[1]   [1] The figure for centres opened since 2010 does not include children’s centres that local authorities have reported closed and subsequently reopened.

Pre-school Education: Alternative Education

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2018 to Question 123172, what the locations are of the 10 AP free schools, AP academies and Pupil Referral Units that cater for early years.

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2018 to Question 123172, on pupil referral units, how many referrals have been made to the 10 AP free schools, AP academies and Pupil Referral Units for three and four years-olds in each of the last three years.

Nadhim Zahawi: As at 24 January 2018, the department’s ‘Get information about schools’ website, available at: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/ shows there are 42 pupil referral units (PRUs), alternative provision (AP) free schools and AP academies that offer provision for early years pupils aged four and under. The data containing the local authority names for these PRUs, AP free schools and academies can found in the attached annex A. The department does not collect data on the number of referrals to alternative provision. However, as at January 2015, 2016 and 2017, six, seven and 10 children respectively aged three and four were placed in PRUs, AP academies and AP free schools.



Annex
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.63 KB)

GCSE

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average GCSE score was for pupils in (a) Barnsley and (b) England in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universities: Admissions

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of young people leaving educational institutions after completing A-Level studies in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) East Hampshire constituency and (c) England enrolled in university courses in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The attached table shows the proportion of students that were at the end of 16‑18 study (taking A level or other level 3 qualifications) in Barnsley East, East Hampshire and all of England and progressed to study at a UK Higher Education Institution for at least two terms in a given academic year. Information on destinations in academic years 2010-11 to 2015-16 is given. This is the most recent data available.Information on pupil destinations is published annually on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-destinations.



Students with sustained destinations at UK HEIs
(Word Document, 15.52 KB)

Autism: Barnsley

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with autism as their primary educational special need received a permanent or fixed period exclusion in Barnsley in each of the last seven years.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with an education, health and care plan or a statement of special educational needs received a permanent or fixed period exclusion in Barnsley in each of the last seven years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The first accompanying table provides the numbers of pupils with autism as their primary need who received fixed period and permanent exclusions in Barnsley local authority in the last seven years.The second accompanying table shows the number of pupils with an education, health and care plan or a statement of special educational needs who received a permanent or fixed-period exclusion in Barnsley local authority in each of the last seven years.



124668 124670 Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 26.25 KB)

Schools: South Yorkshire

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary aged children in (i) Barnsley and (ii) South Yorkshire who are attending a school rated (A) outstanding and (B) good by Ofsted.

Nick Gibb: As of 31 August 2017, there were 30% of pupils in Barnsley in primary schools rated outstanding and 61% in primary schools rated good. As of 31 August 2017, there were 18% of pupils in South Yorkshire in primary schools rated outstanding and 66% in primary schools rated good (South Yorkshire has grouped local authorities’ data from Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield). As of 31 August 2017, there were no pupils in secondary schools rated outstanding and 61% in secondary schools rated good in Barnsley. As of 31 August 2017, there were 18% of pupils in secondary schools rated outstanding in South Yorkshire and 52% in secondary schools rated good (South Yorkshire has grouped local authorities’ data from Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield). Ofsted’s latest releases can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/maintained-schools-and-academies-inspections-and-outcomes-as-at-31-august-2017.

Primary Education: South Yorkshire

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children in (a) Barnsley and (b) South Yorkshire who are (i) eligible and (ii) not eligible for free school meals reached the expected standard in (A) reading, (B) writing, (C) maths and (D) all of these subjects at the end of Key Stage 2 in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Arts: GCSE

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of socio-economic background on the uptake of arts subjects at GCSE level.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Arts: GCSE

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the uptake of arts subjects at GCSE level; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Children: Day Care

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many eligibility codes for 30 hours free childcare have been (a) generated and (b) validated in (i) Coventry South constituency and (b) Coventry.

Nadhim Zahawi: On 19 December 2017, the department published ’30 hours free childcare: autumn term 2017’ which showed that in the first term of delivery, an estimated 1,143 children were in a 30 hours place in Coventry – this was 97% of those issued with a 30 hours eligibility code.As of 8 January 2018, 1,786 30 hours eligibility codes had been issued in Coventry for the spring term and 1,445 of these codes had been validated via the department’s eligibility checking system. This data was published in the management information release: ‘30 hours free childcare eligibility codes issued and validated: January 2018’, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated.Information on codes generated and validated is broken down to a local authority level, not a constituency level, therefore data on the wider Coventry South constituency is not held centrally.We will continue to publish regular management Information on the rollout of 30 hours free childcare at a national and local level.

Foster Care: Finance

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in reference to the staying put initiative launched in 2013, whether his Department plans to raise the payment for HS236 foster carers who are looking after adults in their care.

Nadhim Zahawi: Staying Put arrangements play a vital role in supporting some of the most vulnerable young people in society, allowing them to enjoy continuity in their care arrangements, and adopt a more gradual transition to adulthood and independence. It is therefore right that foster carers receive the support that they need, including financial support, to help them meet the needs of those that they care for. In Staying Put arrangements, the amount paid to foster carers is determined locally, by the carer’s local authority or fostering agency.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2017 to Question 116945, on children: day care, whether that contract has been signed; and whether the composition of the working group remains the same.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department will be signing the contract to undertake the year one evaluation of 30 hours’ free childcare policy by the end of January. The consortium of Frontier Economics, researchers from the University of East London and NatCen Social Research remains the same.

Special Educational Needs

Edward Argar: What steps his Department is taking to improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

James Duddridge: What steps his Department is taking to improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Gordon Henderson: What steps his Department is taking to improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Luke Hall: What steps his Department is taking to improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Nadhim Zahawi: We have been strengthening the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities system through the biggest programme of reforms in a generation. We have legislated to improve the system and have invested £341 million since 2014 to help ensure the reforms make a real difference. We will continue to build on this, so that every child has the chance to fulfil their potential.

Office for Students: Public Appointments

Matt Western: What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the appointment process for the board of the Office for Students.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The appointments to the Board were made through a fair and open competition, reflecting the Governance Code on Public appointments and the relevant legislation. The Board members have the broad range of skills and experience needed to lead the Office for Students to deliver better outcomes for students.

Education: Standards

Siobhain McDonagh: What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect on children's education of living in temporary accommodation.

Nadhim Zahawi: Since being appointed, I have not had a chance to discuss this issue with colleagues. However, we know moving into temporary accommodation can mean changing schools, which is strongly associated with poorer attainment. We provide schools with extra resources to ensure all pupils, regardless of their home circumstances, can go as far as their talent and hard work will take them. We have spent almost £2.5 billion this year through the pupil premium to support disadvantaged pupils.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Rabbits: Disease Control

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to stop the spread of UH disease in rabbits in the UK.

George Eustice: Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD) was previously also known as Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD). The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) Diseases of Wildlife Scheme (DoWS) funded by Defra, provides wildlife disease surveillance for wild mammal and wild bird diseases in England and Wales and undertakes small scale monitoring for RHD2 (the latest variant of the disease) in wild rabbits at Veterinary Investigation Centres in conjunction with its partners and collaborators. APHA DoWS detected the first reported case of RHD2 in Britain, in wild rabbits found dead in Cumbria. We advise that all pet rabbits are vaccinated against RHD every year as well as being vaccinated against myxomatosis and keeping boosters up to date. The best people to advise the public on the health and welfare of pet rabbits are local vets.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Beverage Containers

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate has been made of the number of single use disposable cups that are (a) used each year and (b) sent for recycling by his Department.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: (a) On 11 January 2018, at the Secretary of State’s request, all single use plastic water cups were removed from Defra. Re-usable glasses are now provided instead. In recent years Defra’s outsourced Catering and Facilities Management providers purchased disposable cups for the Defra offices. Since October 2014, the number of disposable cups purchased by Defra’s catering provider has fallen by a third: PeriodNumber of Cups1/10/2014 – 30/09/2015536,1001/10/2015 – 30/09/2016391,7001/10/2016 – 30/09/2017369,5001/10/2017 – 31/12/201749,500 The current catering contract expires this summer. The tender for the new contract stipulates that the supplier must not use single use plastics and must provide alternatives to single use disposable cups or implement a recycling scheme. Since 2013, the number of disposable cups purchased by Defra’s facilities contractor has fallen by more than half. Calendar YearNumber of Cups Purchased2013380,0002014280,0002015240,0002016200,0002017168,000Total1,268,000 Different time periods have been used in the tables above as the catering provider and facilities contractor have different financial years. (b) The department cannot estimate the number of single use disposable cups sent for recycling as Defra uses mixed recycling bins and it is not possible to quantify the separate elements.

Water: Meters

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of secondary residences which do not have a water meter.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: No such estimate has been made in relation to secondary residences. Water companies provide data to the Environment Agency on households that have a meter fitted, as part of the annual review of their water resources management plans. The following table sets out the proportions by water company, as at March 2017. Water CompanyPercentage of household meteringAffinity Water47Anglian Water77Bristol Water47Cambridge Water70Essex & Suffolk Water58Northumbrian Water32Portsmouth Water28Bournemouth Water69SES Water*50Severn Trent41South East Water76South Staffordshire Water35South West Water79Southern Water84Thames Water39United Utilities38Wessex Water60Yorkshire Water49England50 * previously Sutton & East Surrey Water

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Former Members

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many former Conservative Members of Parliament who were defeated at the 2017 general election and who now work in his Department were appointed after a publicly advertised and open recruitment process.

George Eustice: No former Conservative Members of Parliament defeated at the 2017 general election have been appointed to the department.

Beekeeping

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department are taking to promote bee keeping by (a) farmers and (b) landowners in rural areas.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We promote beekeeping through educational and training events held across England. Our National Bee Unit’s bee inspectors provide free training and educational materials on how to manage bee pests and diseases either at the hive-side, at events or through its website, Beebase. We also co-fund beekeeping association teaching programmes on bee husbandry and the apprenticeship scheme led by the Bee Farmers Association, which aims to increase the number of young professional beekeepers. This support is available to all who wish to take up beekeeping including farmers and landowners.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ensure that the Countryside Stewardship scheme will not make any farmer on the previous Entry Level Stewardship scheme financially worse off.

George Eustice: There are currently 5,838 entry level Environmental Stewardship agreements. In 2018 4,939 expire, and the rest in 2019. Farmers in these agreements will continue to get their payments for the lifetime of the agreements. We encourage farmers leaving entry level Environmental Stewardship in 2018 to consider applying for Countryside Stewardship. We have introduced four new offers for wildlife on arable, lowland grazing, upland and mixed farms. These new wildlife offers are non-competitive, the form is shorter and we have reviewed and simplified the supporting evidence requirements.

Waste Disposal

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2018 to Question 121918, what proposals he has to promote and encourage better coordination between WRAP and INCPEN in devising appropriate waste reduction schemes.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We have asked WRAP to work with INCPEN and other businesses to look at actions they can take to reduce waste and improve resource efficiency. We will continue to work with WRAP and relevant businesses in developing our Resources and Waste Strategy.

Fertilisers: Pollution Control

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if it is the policy of the Government’s forthcoming Clean Air Strategy to use the polluter pays principle as the basis for an effective regulatory framework to reduce air and water pollution from farm fertilisers, and to reverse the impact of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on sensitive wildlife habitats.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government has committed to ambitious targets to reduce emissions of air pollutants, including ammonia, which impact on human health and the environment. These targets require the UK to reduce ammonia emissions by 8% and 16% by 2020 and 2030 respectively, compared to 2005 levels. We are already taking action to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture. In 2017, we provided practical help to farmers to reduce ammonia emissions by providing on-farm advice and grants for slurry store covers. In April 2018, we are also introducing new rules for all farmers in England to improve water quality. The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan has set out our intention to work with farmers to use fertilisers more efficiently to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture and its impact on the environment. We will publish a Clean Air Strategy, setting out more detail on how we will work towards these goals, for consultation in 2018.

Waste Disposal

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the statement in his Department's report entitled Energy recovery for residual waste, published in February 2014, on landfill acting as a partial carbon sink for biogenic carbon, what assessment his Department has made of the CO2e impact, including biogenic CO2e, of waste sent to landfill as compared to waste sent for incineration.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: A comparison of the CO₂ impact of waste going to energy from waste and landfill is included in the analysis of the 2014 report “Energy recovery for residual waste: A carbon based approach.” No formal analysis has been undertaken since this report was published.

Horses: Animal Welfare

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to make failure to abide by the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and their hybrids a criminal offence.

George Eustice: A breach of the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and their Hybrids is not an offence itself but if proceedings are brought against a person for an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the Court will look at whether or not the person complied with the code in deciding whether they have committed an offence.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Equality

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's report entitled Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Equality Objectives 2012-2016, published in April 2012, what steps his Department has taken to raise awareness of diversity by developing a communications plan to celebrate key  equality and culture events such as LGBT History Month and Black History Month.

George Eustice: Defra’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy sets out ambitious and comprehensive priorities to promote equality, diversity and inclusion in the Department, including ‘supporting and empowering our networks and creating opportunities for people to share experience’. Our strategy is supported by an annual communications plan setting out our priorities over the next 12 months and highlighting opportunities to raise awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion. We promote a range of nationally and internationally celebrated diversity calendar dates and events. For example, Black History Month and LGBT History Month 2017 were both celebrated using intranet stories and personal blogs and stories from Defra employees. Clare Moriarty, Defra Permanent Secretary, was part of a Cabinet Office panel to celebrate LGBT History Month and also attended the Defra Ethnic Minority Network Conference as a guest speaker where the Defra group ‘Project Race’ was launched.

Tree Planting: North of England

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has plans to increase the funding allocated to the Northern Forest.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government has committed to providing £5.7 million to kick start the Northern Forest project.

Food: Waste

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2018 to Question 122438, if he will estimate the amount of food waste that will be prevented as a result of the steps he proposes to take.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Waste and Resources Action Programme estimates there are 270,000 tonnes of food in the grocery supply chain that may be suitable for redistribution. We are expecting applications for projects that will make a tangible contribution to volumes redistributed, and provide best examples for wider uptake within the sector.

Schmallenberg Virus: Disease Control

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to put in place precautions to prevent the spread of the Schmallenberg virus.

George Eustice: Defra is responsible for endemic disease issues in England. Alongside the Welsh Government and Scottish Government, it sponsors the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), which provides services across Great Britain. APHA is monitoring the virus in Great Britain and working with veterinary professionals and the cattle and sheep sectors to raise awareness. The Agency works with officials in Northern Ireland and the EU to better understand the disease. It offers testing where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that cattle disease is caused by the virus. Preventing the spread of the disease is difficult as it is spread by midges, however there are two vaccines offering protection against the disease currently licenced in the UK, one of which is currently manufactured.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many of his Department's officials are working on the monitoring and the delivery of the 25 Year Plan for the Environment.

George Eustice: The 25 Year Environment Plan has a very wide remit which covers all of the Department’s work. There are a significant number of officials working to monitor and deliver the Plan across the Department. It is therefore not possible to estimate the number of officials.

Waste and Resources Action Programme

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the funding his Department allocated to the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) in each year from 2009-10 to 2017-18; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra places a high value on the work WRAP delivers for the Department. WRAP has delivered an ambitious and highly regarded programme, and we are working closely with WRAP to ensure this programme continues.  Year2017 - 182016 - 172015 - 162014 - 152013 - 142012 -132011 - 122010 -112009 – 10Budget (£m)9.6214.0013.28617.5525.7428.7937.6953.4844.15

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2017 to Question 115085, what types of meter the Waste Electrical and Electronic Regulations (a) does and (b) does not apply to.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2017 to Question 115085, whether for energy meters to which the Waste Electrical and Electronic Regulations apply provision exists under the duty of care for such meters to be disposed of in the event that the original manufacturer cannot be verified.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Guidance for producers published by the Environment Agency states that digital utility meters are within the scope of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013. Analogue utility meters are out of scope. Where energy suppliers, their installation contractors, or meter asset providers acting on their behalf remove meters and intend to discard them as waste (through disposal, recycling or preparation for re-use), because the original manufacturer cannot be verified, they must comply with the waste duty of care legislation. If they do not intend to discard the meters as waste then the waste duty of care legislation does not apply.

Trees: Diseases

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to offer funding for the observation of tree health after the UK has left the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Our extensive tree health surveillance programme involves government, industry, conservation groups and the public. It includes aerial and ground based surveillance activity by the Forestry Commission; risk based inspections at nurseries and retail sites to detect any issues at an early stage; and the ‘Observatree’ network of volunteer tree health surveyors trained by Forest Research and the Woodland Trust.Funding for this approach will continue after the UK has left the EU.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when data on the number of badgers culled in 2017 in the Supplementary Badger Disease Control Areas of Gloucestershire and Somerset will be published.

George Eustice: Data on the number of badgers culled in the Supplementary Badger Disease Control Areas of Gloucestershire and Somerset will be published in due course.

Electronic Training Aids: Dogs

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on the use of electronic training devices for dogs.

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Bristol East, Kerry McCarthy, on 26 January 2018, PQ UIN124107.

Electric Vehicles

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to install charging points for electrical cars at its offices.

George Eustice: We are reviewing plans to install car chargers at existing Defra sites, however some Defra staff will already have access to car chargers that are being installed at Environment Agency (EA) co-located sites. A car charging point is being installed at Defra’s new London site, 2 Marsham Street, which is standard practice at all newly acquired sites.EA have installed, and are soon to commission, 33 car chargers nationally, many of which are at sites that are co-located by core Defra staff and other Defra bodies. These installations are intended to complement the growing number of publically accessible charge points.

Food Poverty

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of the 18 January to Question 122811, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of treating food banks usage as an indicator for food insecurity.

George Eustice: Government does not collect the data which would be necessary for such an indicator. However, the Living Costs and Food Survey is longstanding and is the best indicator of food affordability and trends in consumer behaviour.

Department for Exiting the European Union

UK Trade with EU

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether it is his policy for Turkey to be included in any trade agreement reached with the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: Many of the UK’s relationships with non-EU partners and international organisations rest in some way on the UK’s membership of the EU. DExEU is leading a process to explore what action is needed across international agreements with third countries. Our priority is to aim for continuity, recognising the need to promote stability for businesses and individuals. As the Secretary of State said at the Exiting the European Union Select Committee on 24 January, our future economic relationship with the EU will be agreed between the UK and the EU. We want to put in place mechanisms to make our exit as frictionless as possible with respect to UK-Turkey trade.

Brexit

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2018 to Question 122410 on Brexit, whether any journalist has been given access to non-public Market Access reports pertaining to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU that did not undermine the UK's negotiating position.

Mr Robin Walker: We have been as open as possible in sharing information subject to the overwhelming national interest of preserving our negotiating position, including publishing 14 detailed papers on the negotiations to date. Any non-public reports are by definition not shared with individuals and organisations outside government.

Attorney General

Sentencing: Appeals

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Attorney General, how many sentences have been successfully appealed under the Unduly Lenient Sentences Scheme in each year for which statistics are available.

Robert Buckland: The number of sentences that have been successfully appealed during the last six years are:Year201220132014201520162017AGO contacted443498676713837943Referred to Court of Appeal (CA)8270122136190173*Sentence increased by CA6261106102141116* This includes 25 sentences passed in 2017 which have been referred to the Court of Appeal, but which it has not yet considered.

Crime: Victims

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Attorney General, how many cases reviews have led to a reversal of a decision by the CPS in each year since the introduction of the Victims' Right to Review Scheme.

Robert Buckland: The Victim’s Right to Review Scheme (VRR) was launched by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in June 2013. The right to request a review of a CPS decision arises where decisions are made not to bring proceedings (i.e. at the pre-charge stage); to discontinue or withdraw the case ending all proceedings involving the victim; to offer no evidence in all proceedings relating to the victim; or asks the court to leave all charges in all proceedings to lie on file. These are defined as qualifying decisions. If an appeal is upheld it may be possible to bring proceedings against a suspect if the original decision is found, on review, to be wrong. The table below shows the volume and proportion of VRR appeals and the number upheld during each of the last four years.-Qualifying DecisionsTotal VRR Appeals% of Qualifying Decisions AppealedUpheld Appeals (Decision Reversed)2013-14106,2621,2581.18%1972014-15129,2301,7501.35%2212015-16118,6001,8091.53%1892016-17103,1131,9881.93%137Data Source: CPS VRR Tracker

Crime: Victims

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Attorney General, in what proportion of qualifying cases a review was sought under the Victims' Right to Review Scheme in each year since 2013.

Robert Buckland: The Victim’s Right to Review Scheme (VRR) was launched by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in June 2013. The right to request a review of a CPS decision arises where decisions are made not to bring proceedings (i.e. at the pre-charge stage); to discontinue or withdraw the case ending all proceedings involving the victim; to offer no evidence in all proceedings relating to the victim; or asks the court to leave all charges in all proceedings to lie on file. These are defined as qualifying decisions. If an appeal is upheld it may be possible to bring proceedings against a suspect if the original decision is found, on review, to be wrong.The table below shows the volume and proportion of VRR appeals and the number upheld during each of the last four years.-Qualifying DecisionsTotal VRR Appeals% of Qualifying Decisions AppealedUpheld Appeals (Decision Reversed)2013-14106,2621,2581.18%1972014-15129,2301,7501.35%2212015-16118,6001,8091.53%1892016-17103,1131,9881.93%137Data Source: CPS VRR Tracker

Attorney General: Directors

Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney General, who the the lead non-executive director and other non-executive director board members are in the Law Officers' Departments.

Robert Buckland: The non-executive Board members for:the CPS are: Jeremy Newman, Monica Burch, Alison Porter, Mark Hammondthe SFO are: Simon Duckworth OBE DL, Tony Osbladiston and Ruth EvansGLD are: Jeremy Newman, Oonagh Harpur and Jenny Rowe, who is an Independent External member of GLD’s Audit & Risk Committee and does not sit on the Board.There is no lead member in any of these instances.The AGO and HMCPSI have no non-executive directors.

Wales Office

Care Homes and Foster Care: Wales

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the growth of private fostering and private care homes in Wales.

Alun Cairns: The provision and regulation of fostering and care homes is devolved to the Welsh Assembly, and as such is a matter for the Welsh Government.

Brexit: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister of Wales on legislative consent for the European Withdrawal Bill.

Alun Cairns: The Government is having intensive discussions with the Welsh Government on the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill with a view to securing the legislative consent of the National Assembly for Wales to the Bill. My Rt honourable Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and I are meeting the First Minister later this week as part of those ongoing discussions.

Wales Office: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many meetings he had with the Government Chief Scientific Adviser between October and December 2017.

Alun Cairns: None.

Wales Office: Presidents Club

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether any Ministers in his Department attended the Presidents Club Charity Dinner run by the Meller Educational Trust in an official capacity.

Alun Cairns: None of the Ministers in my Department attended the dinner.

Ministry of Justice

Courts: ICT

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of his Department's staff have as their principal role overseeing the digital courts reform contract with PwC.

Lucy Frazer: The Department has allocated responsibility for oversight of the PWC contract to four key individuals in addition a number of professionals from its Commercial, Commissioning, Financial and Operational workstreams overseeing the PwC delivery partner contract on behalf of the Senior Business Owner. This provides the department with a broad range of expertise to focus on particular areas of the contract.

Courts: ICT

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many contracts his Department has signed with companies in respect of the digital courts reform programme; what other signatories there are for each of those contracts; what the value of each of those contracts is; and what the performance measures are which form part of each of those contracts.

Dr Phillip Lee: As of 22/01/2018 forty-one (41) contracts have been awarded under the category ‘Digital and Technology’ to support the delivery of the HMCTS Reform Programme. The Total Contract Value of these contracts is £106.4m. The signatories for these contracts will vary depending on value and budgetary / contractual financial delegations. Prior to ‘contract award’ approval is required through the following channels:Programme / Project Business Case;Cabinet Office Spend Controls (where applicable);Technology Owner;Digital / Technology Director;Budget Holder; andCommercial Manager / Senior Commercial Manager / Commercial Director.The final contract is signed by the supplier and a member of the commercial team (subject to value). Performance measures vary by contract and by programme, depending on the services being delivered. Some of these contracts are short fixed price pieces of work, with payment only on acceptable performance and delivery of milestones. Other longer term contracts include service and performance review boards where the HMCTS Senior Business Owner and team will review the services delivered in month. They will then assure whether or not the deliverables have been delivered in line with the contract. Should the performance not meet the standards expected in the contract in accordance with the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) then HMCTS may have a right to service credits or other such remedy from the supplier. At a project level, regular programme reviews and supplier reviews take place for each of the digital service projects being delivered.

Courts: Closures

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many courts were closed in each year since 2010.

Dr Phillip Lee: This government is investing over £1billion to reform and modernise the justice system – making it more convenient, easier to use, and providing better value for the taxpayer.As we increase the use of digital services, it makes sense to consider the wider role and need for Court buildings and assess whether some are still necessary to provide effective access to justice. Where physical courts are to close, every penny raised will be put back into funding changes which will make justice easier to access for all at the same time as offering protections for the most vulnerable. Since 2010, the following number of courts have closed in each financial year as detailed below: 2010/11: 12011/12: 1292012/13: 72013/14: 52014/15: 72015/16: 202016/17: 642017/18: 25

Liverpool Prison

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were occupying the 172 cells referred to in Action Plan: HMP Liverpool, published on 19 January 2018, as being in an unacceptable condition prior to those cells being closed.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, to where those prisoners occupying the 172 cells referred to in Action Plan: HMP Liverpool, published on 19 January 2018, as being in an unacceptable condition were moved; and whether there has been an increase in two or more prisoners sharing cells at that prison since the inspection which provided the basis for that action plan.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the Governor of HMP Liverpool on (a) the operational capacity of the prison and (b) cell occupancy at the prison since the closure of the 172 cells referred to in Action Plan: HMP Liverpool, published on 19 January 2018.

Rory Stewart: The action plan for HMP Liverpool refers to 172 places [for prisoners] taken out of use at the prison. As these places were taken offline over a period of time and in consultation with the Governor at HMP Liverpool the capacity of the prison has been reduced since the Inspection. These changes were managed as part of business as usual activity in the prison over a short period of time, this was possible due to the nature of HMP Liverpool’s role as a local prison with their high level of turnover of prisoners. There has been no increase in two or more prisoners sharing cells at the prison since the inspection, either in terms of number of individuals or in terms of percentage of the prison’s total population.

Ministry of Justice: Former Members

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many former Conservative Members of Parliament who were defeated at the 2017 general election and who now work in his Department were appointed after a publicly advertised and open recruitment process.

Dr Phillip Lee: There are no former Conservative Members of Parliament, who lost their seats at the 2017 General Election, working within the Ministry of Justice.

Liverpool Prison

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish his investment proposal for a medium-term refurbishment programme for HMP Liverpool.

Rory Stewart: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is currently scoping the programme of urgent works at HMP Liverpool. There are no plans to publish any of these investment proposals.

Liverpool Prison

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans there are for the involvement of the Prison Officers Association and other staff representatives in developing HMP Liverpool’s annual training plan for 2018.

Rory Stewart: HMP Liverpool have commissioned a training needs analysis to look at the training needs of our staff for 2018-19. The local branch of the Prison Officers Association (POA) at HMP Liverpool will be invited to take part in these discussions by the Governor.

Liverpool Prison

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether HMP Liverpool is operating with an operational capacity that involves a level of crowding above its Certified Normal Accommodation.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cells at HMP Liverpool that were designed for single occupancy have been certified by the relevant Prison Group Director in accordance with PSI 17/2012 to accommodate two prisoners or more.

Rory Stewart: Prison Service Instruction 17 of 2012 sets out that it is the responsibility of the Prison Group Director to ensure that all cells are correctly certified, and recorded on a cell certificate schedule which is signed by the PGD. Published information on the levels of crowding at HMP Liverpool can be found in the National Offender Management Service Annual digest 2016/17:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-national-offender-management-service-digest-2016-to-2017

Ministry of Justice: Beverage Containers

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many disposable coffee cups were purchased by his Department in each of the last five years.

Dr Phillip Lee: I can confirm that the MoJ holds a partial amount of the information that you have requested and I have provided it below. My response is primarily restricted to purchases made via a Catering Disposable contract which commenced in June 2017 and has since supplied Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. Comparative data for periods prior to June 2017 is not held. I can provide the data for 2017/18 to date as per below;   Number of disposable hot beverage cups2017/18 (Part year Apr 17 to date)929,960

Sentencing: Females

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many female offenders received an immediate custodial sentence in each of the last seven years; and what the percentage change in that number was for each police force area in England and Wales in each of those years.

Dr Phillip Lee: The number of female offenders sentenced to immediate custody in England and Wales, by police force area, from 2010 to 2016, can be viewed in the table below. Court proceedings data, including sentencing outcomes, for 2017 is planned for publication in May 2018. In recognition of the distinct needs of female offenders, we are developing a female offender strategy to improve outcomes for women in the community and in custody.Female offenders sentenced to immediate custody, England and Wales, by Police Force Area, 2010 to 2016 (1)(2)Force2010201120122013201420152016London (3)1,6911,8221,5661,3201,3181,1921,286Cumbria8010988909310492Lancashire189193205241239215169Merseyside251265232232249268267Greater Manchester468486412405451405309Cheshire139131121118169182168Northumbria156199165136178184170Durham87647980857780North Yorkshire919010482837983West Yorkshire273284270271300294336South Yorkshire206244210273249232194Humberside151155157146158138147Cleveland1169193989178108West Midlands630580590493536525559Staffordshire151143145101125126119West Mercia146116111104117102112Warwickshire28393840415760Derbyshire139156123128174183179Nottinghamshire187153145117143170147Lincolnshire52596267425267Leicestershire1081201141081028897Northamptonshire12911512893927078Cambridgeshire1431111231329289113Norfolk969993738699124Suffolk56814364797349Bedfordshire99758442698054Hertfordshire951091071009389110Essex231223197194201162176Thames Valley242254213204214255224Hampshire199267245156193211158Surrey949911382906463Kent206226193201203192217Sussex260240194148132160131Devon and Cornwall144158120109116126121Avon and Somerset181207172182200170164Gloucestershire68514961667158Wiltshire25323329334449Dorset78424846576752North Wales7474979893107116Gwent59709486918288South Wales327328291344345328387Dyfed-Powys51584244373332England and Wales8,1968,4187,7097,1387,5257,3237,313 (1) The sentence shown is the most severe sentence given for the principal offence (i.e. the principal sentence), secondary sentences given for the principal offence and sentences for non-principal offences are not counted in the tables.(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.(3) Includes the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police Force Areas.

Crime: Victims

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many breaches of the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime have been recorded since its introduction in 2006.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many breaches of the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime have been recorded since its revision in December 2013.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Victims’ Code is a statutory code of practice, which sets out the services that must by law be provided to victims of crime in England and Wales by criminal justice agencies. The Ministry of Justice does not collate breaches of the Code by criminal justice agencies..

Sex Offender Treatment Programme

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Parole Board stopped taking into account completion of the sex offender treatment programme in assessing the suitability of prisoners for release.

Rory Stewart: The Parole Board has not stopped taking into account completion of the sex offender treatment programme in assessing the suitability of prisoners for release. The Board may only direct release of a prisoner if it is satisfied that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public that the prisoner should remain detained. When making its decision, the Parole Board will consider all evidence presented to it. Attendance on offending behaviour courses - including sex offender treatment programmes - is just one of the factors Parole Board panels consider. Some of the evidence considered by the panel includes, but is not limited to, details of offences, previous convictions, sentencing remarks, assessment of an experienced probation officer, the offenders’ own comments; as well as reports from psychiatrists, psychologists, security experts, prison staff, substance misuse workers, and staff on behaviour management programmes. The offender also has an opportunity to make a statement, as do victims. Before release is directed, the Parole Board will also satisfy itself that a comprehensive resettlement plan is in place.

Crime: Victims

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which organisations his Department consulted on the introduction of a victims law; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Phillip Lee: Supporting victims of crime is a priority for the Government and we have made a commitment to publish a victims strategy in 2018. We are looking at legislative and non-legislative options to give effect to the strategy. We are engaging widely with victims, victims’ groups and other stakeholders, including but not limited to the Victims’ Commissioner, Criminal Justice Agencies, and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners.

Ministry of Justice: Carillion

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how often Carillion was stress-tested by his Department; when the last such stress test was carried out; and what the results of that stress test were.

Rory Stewart: The Department undertakes a financial assessment of prospective suppliers as part of its procurement processes. The last contracts awarded to Carillion were the prison facilities management contracts that were awarded in January 2015. For ‘live’ contracts the Department utilises market and supplier intelligence reports that are undertaken by the Cabinet Office.

Domestic Visits: Redbridge

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will outline the itinerary of his visit to the London Borough of Redbridge that took place on 19 January 2018.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he last met senior Metropolitan police officers from the London Borough of Redbridge.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Secretary of State visited the London Borough of Redbridge on 19 January to take part in political campaigning. The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on this visit, due to its political nature.

Coroners: Greater London

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has received representations on the performance of the Inner North London Coroner's Office with reference to (a) ensuring appropriate burial arrangements for Jewish and Muslim people and (b) otherwise; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Phillip Lee: Coroners are independent judicial office holders. As such, it would be inappropriate for Ministers to comment on the reported actions of the Inner North London Senior Coroner.

Young Offender Institutions

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 23 January 2018 to Question 903506, what steps the Government has taken to address unsafe conditions in youth custody following the Youth Custody Improvement Board report published in February 2017.

Dr Phillip Lee: The safety of young people in custody is our highest priority, and we take the findings of the Youth Custody Improvement Board very seriously. We are investing £64 million as part of our work to reform youth custody. This includes expanding frontline staff capacity in public-sector Young Offender Institutions by 20% and introducing a new youth justice specialist role. We have already started to make progress and currently around 140 frontline staff are enrolled on a new vocational youth justice foundation degree. To ensure a grip on safety and performance a new Youth Custody Service was launched in September 2017, headed by an Executive Director who is accountable to Ministers. This is the first time in the department’s history that such a role has existed and this demonstrates our commitment to improving youth custody. We are working with NHS England to strengthen the provision of mental health care. We are also investing in the development of Enhanced Support Units to provide a better environment for young people with the most complex needs. The first of these is now operational at Feltham YOI. We are currently implementing a behaviour management strategy to improve safety across the youth estate and progressing with a conflict resolution model.

Scotland Office

Brexit: Scotland

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his oral contribution of 6 December 2017, Official Report, column 1021, on what date officials were first instructed to prepare amendments to Clause 11 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill for its Report stage.

David Mundell: We have committed to amend Clause 11 of the Bill in agreement with the Scottish and Welsh Governments. As I have made clear, we had not reached agreement in time to table amendments for Report. Our commitment to amending the Bill is absolute, we have intensified discussions and as these progress we will reflect these by bringing forward changes to the Bill in the House of Lords.

Scotland Office: Keith Cochrane

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he plans to renew Keith Cochrane's membership of the Joint Management Board of the Scotland Office at the end of his three year term.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not made any decisions on the future membership of the Joint Management Board.

Cabinet Office

Elections

Martin Whitfield: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the effect of foreign political advertising on UK elections.

Chloe Smith: UK political parties and campaigners can only receive donations (including donations in kind) from permissible sources. These sources are set out in legislation and include individuals on the electoral roll, companies registered in the UK and carrying on business here, and a number of other UK-registered bodies. Separate provisions apply in Northern Ireland. Accepting donations from any impermissible donor is an offence.Under the Communications Act 2003, other than party political broadcasts, political advertising is prohibited on TV and radio. However, the Government recognises the problems caused by misleading and false information online, and we take the security and integrity of our democratic processes very seriously.The Government’s manifesto includes a commitment to take steps to protect the reliability and objectivity of information that is essential to our democracy and a free, independent press. Therefore we are working with the broadcast and press sectors, social media and the broader tech industry, academics and international partner governments to ensure we have a news environment where accurate content can prevail. We are also working to improve the critical analysis and digital literacy skills of the wider population.

Employment: Disability

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people with disabilities who (a) are currently in work and (b) were in work in 2010.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
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Government Departments: Codes of Practice

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the guidance to Departments on preparing registers of ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Life Expectancy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2018 to Question 123454 on 22nd January 2018, which local authority areas have shown a decline in life expectancy of (a) males at birth, (b) females at birth, (c) males at 65 and (d) females at 65.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 117.32 KB)

Government Departments: Impact Assessments

Jo Stevens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many impact assessments Government Departments have conducted since 2015.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office: Presidents Club

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what records his Department holds on whether Ministers or officials from Government Departments were invited to the Presidents Club Dinner on 18 January 2018.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office: Directors

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who the lead non-executive director and other non-executive director board members are in his Department.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

National Security

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the remit of the new National Security Communications Unit will be; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

National Security

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the new National Security Communications Unit will be based in the (a) Government Communications Service, (b) National Security Secretariat or (c) elsewhere.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

National Security

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff and at what grades will be employed by the new National Security Communications Unit.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

National Security

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what resources he has allocated to the new National Security Communications Unit.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Civil Partnerships

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil partnerships have been (a) established and (b) dissolved in each year since 2004.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of civil partnerships have become marriages since the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) same-sex  and (b) single-sex couples have (i) married and (ii) divorced in each of the last four years.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 92.58 KB)

Carillion

Bill Esterson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Carillion was a Government strategic supplier.

Oliver Dowden: Holding answer received on 29 January 2018



Carillion was a Government Strategic Supplier. The current list of Strategic Suppliers can be found at:http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/crownrepresentatives

Government Departments: Procurement

Bill Esterson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2018 to Question 122920, when he plans to announce the new list of Government strategic suppliers.

Oliver Dowden: The list of Governmen strategic suppliers can be found at:http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/crownrepresentatives This list is updated periodically.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Plastics

Dr David Drew: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission has discussed plans for the House to stop using plastic.

Tom Brake: The Commission has asked the Administration Committee to review the sustainability and environmental management of single use disposable plastics in the House of Commons. The Administration Committee will be considering this matter in March.

Press: Security

Dr David Drew: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what criteria the Commission applies to people applying for press passes.

Tom Brake: Press passes may be applied for via a business case addressed to the Serjeant at Arms. The business case should include:The name of their business organisationDetails of circulation (including circulation figures)A copy of their editorial policyProof of their qualification as a journalist and accreditation to a professional bodyHow they envisage using potential access; i.e. how often they see access being required and what percentage of their coverage they envisage being of a political nature, directly attributable to their accessAny other information which would support their requestApplications are considered on a case by case basis and, if agreed, passes are then issued by the Pass Office subject to the successful security vetting of the individual.Depending on the business case presented passes may be issued for a trial period, with reassessment after that time, before the maximum three years is considered.For details of current pass holders, individuals who are granted a parliamentary pass also complete a declaration which is recorded in the Register of Journalists’ Interests. This can be found on the parliamentary website here: http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/standards-and-financial-interests/parliamentary-commissioner-for-standards/registers-of-interests/register-of-journalists-interests/.